The Dance, the Deal and the Job
by mkelz21
Summary: Stephanie is single and enjoying a Girl's Night with Lula and Connie until Ranger and Tank crash it. Stephanie ends up helping Ranger with an out of town assignment and a few deals are made along the way. Babe HEA, not Cupcake friendly- but nothing bad happens to Joe.
1. Chapter 1

The Dance, the Deal and the Job

Note: I do not own anything, all belongs to JE. This is my first fanfic, so please be kind. Thanks!

I started this story at the end of 2011 and was on quite the writing spurt. Then I found out I was prego, became too tired and lost my muse. Things have settled down a bit around here and I am finding my muse again. I will be posting weekly and cross your fingers that real life doesn't get in the way again. I have about three fourths of it complete now. I hate when I read a story and find it is incomplete for ages...I don't want to be that girl!

Chapter 1

How did this become my life? Not that I am complaining, it could be a lot worse and has been a lot worse. At least at this moment I don't have anyone after me nor do I fear for my life. I could get used to the calm, but somehow trouble always seems to find me. My name is Stephanie Plum and I have been moonlighting as a bounty hunter for the past few years. I have seen and experienced things that no normal girl, well normal by Jersey standards, should have experienced.

The highlight of my week has come, Saturday night- Girl's Night Out. It has become our new tradition and I don't know why we didn't start it sooner. I finally get a change to unwind and relax from the week. I was on my way to pick up Lula and Connie. The single ladies unite for our night out. Yes, I admit it, I am currently single, four months and counting. It took awhile to get used to, but everyone involved knew it was the best decision. Connie and Lula were primped and primed to their best. Lula's hair matched her dress, well what she considered a dress, I was trying not to stare, and Connie's hair touched the roof of my Escape. I had on my favorite skinny jeans, FMPs, and five layers of mascara. I was ready for a night to unwind.

We could not have been at the bar for more than an hour when Lula got us thrown out. What can I say, she doesn't like it when someone calls her fat. Once she is riled up, there is no stopping her. I already had downed a few mixed cocktails, so I didn't care what was happening. On the way back to my house, we picked up a bucket of chicken and a box of wine. A girl couldn't go wrong with boxed wine and considering how much money was in my wallet, it was the best investment for the night. We ate the chicken in the car, so Lula could calm herself down. Besides it was never a good idea to dance with a full stomach and our night was far from over with.

"I get winner of the first round," I yelled as I walked into my bedroom to replace my FMPs with fuzzy slippers.

"Fine by us," was mumbled from the other room.

Connie and Lula got the Wii powered up and were now arguing about which song to choose. It didn't matter, neither one could beat me at Just Dance. I was unstoppable. I finally found something I was good at- I just wish it wasn't a video game. I decided to check my messages and change into different pants. I was more serious about my dancing than I should be, but I finally found something I was good at and it didn't pose a threat to my safety. I had one silent message. I had a good feeling who it was, but he was in the wind last I heard. I made a mental note to sleep with 3 pairs of pants on in case I had a visitor tonight. I poured three glasses of wine in coffee mugs and headed to the living room. Connie and Lula were battling it out to Britney Spear's Baby One More Time.

I chugged my wine and got a refill while Lula selected the next song. She knew what the outcome was going to be, but she still thought there would be a song she could out dance me to. Connie was ready to gossip since we didn't need to worry about my apartment being bugged like the office was.

"Anything good happen this week?" she questioned me with a grin that I knew it was going to be more of a Spanish Inquisition than gossip if I wasn't careful with my response.

"Good. My car didn't catch fire or explode."

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah, she wants to know if you have had any sexy men in your bed" Lula butted in.

"NO!" I responded to quick that they thought I was lying or mad because I wore out my shower massager again and hadn't replaced it. "Hurry up and pick a song. The wine is starting to kick in and I need to shake it!"

"Calm your ass down white girl, I am ready when you are. This here song needs to be your new anthem. I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner" yelled Lula like we were in two separate rooms and not five feet apart.

She had chosen Rihanna's Only Girl. I knew what she was saying and I wanted to be gutsy enough to tell a certain someone how I felt about them. However, he told me once that he loved me, but in his own way and he wasn't relationship material. I was single and knew what I wanted, but he deemed himself not relationship material and in the wind. So even if I did have enough liquid courage, there was no way to talk to him tonight or in the immediate future. I could try casual and my relationship guidelines. I am not getting any younger and if this gets me the Cuban Sex God, then maybe it is worth it. I obviously didn't make the best girlfriend, just ask Morelli. Lula and Connie talked back and forth about my love life and what I should do. I was too distracted and in deep thought about all this relationship talk. I still second guessed myself sometimes that breaking things off with Morelli was the right choice.

It all started to unravel in March. Since the bonds office was still under construction, I had been doing more part time work for Rangeman. Morelli was happy I was doing less bounty hunting, but unhappy I was spending more time at Rangeman. He equated Rangeman to be Ranger only, but the truth was by April he was in the wind and I was reporting to Tank and some of the other guys. I was helping doing searches and the occasionally distraction job. One night the distraction job required me to visit one of the local gentleman's clubs. It was just my luck that Morelli was there for a fellow TPD officer's bachelor party. Let's just say that he was not happy with any aspect of my job that night. Luckily by the time he realized I was there Tank and Hal were escorting the skip out, but Morelli couldn't leave well enough alone. When I got home that night, he was waiting for me.

"Cupcake, what were you doing tonight? Don't you think it is time to get serious about your, our future?"

"Joe, tonight was nothing serious. I just needed to sit there and distract him while Tank and Hal cuffed him. He was high bond skip that had been avoiding the guys for weeks. We had an opportunity tonight and took advantage. I don't know how many times I have to tell you, but I am not giving up my job whether it is bounty hunting or working at Rangeman. If you don't stop bringing it up and can't accept it, then I don't know how much longer we can be together. I can't take you constant criticism and judgments. I know it is not the best job, but someone has to do it. I have steered clear of trouble the last few months and I have been happy. Please don't push this again. Just let me be me."

He took my hands and held them as we sat on the couch. "Jesus Steph! I don't mean to push, but I just want you to be safe. I want to go to work and not worry about getting a call that something happened. I am not saying that you need to quit tomorrow or next week, but start planning and thinking about something more permanent and long-term. I will give syou some space and time to think about it, but I want to be with you. I love you."

And with that he was gone. I avoided him for a week and ignored his calls and avoided him at my apartment for another week. I didn't know what I wanted. It distracted myself with work and with our girl's night out. After the two weeks, I had a message on my machine one night, it was short, sweet and to the point.

"Cupcake, let me know if you change your mind."

So here I was four months later, single and ready to shake my ass off against Lula. I smoked her ass in the song like normal. Usually I don't pay too much attention to lyrics as I dance, but Lula got me thinking about my anthem. Lula isn't usually right, but I am pretty sure she was on this one.

_Want you to make me feel like I'm the only girl in the world _

_Like I'm the only one that you'll ever love _

_Like I'm the only one who knows your heart _

_Only girl in the world... _

_Like I'm the only one that's in command _

_Cuz I'm the only one who understands, like I'm the only one who knows your heart, only one..._

I finished the song and relinquished the remote to Connie. My buzz tonight wore into a sulking mood and not a party mood that I wished it was. I went to the kitchen to fill our mugs with more wine, when I felt the sudden chill in the air and the hair on the back of my neck stood up. I knew this could only happen in the presence on one person. My suspicion about the message was correct.

"Babe."

"Jesus, can't you knock." I turned to look at him and he was every bit of amazing that I remembered before he left. He was gone almost four months, but I never forgot the smell of his Bvlgari body wash. _Grab a hold of yourself; don't let him tempt you, don't seem desperate. Stay strong._

"Babe."

"How did you get in here without anyone of us noticing? Wait, how long have you been here?" If there is a God, he didn't hear my anthem, or see my dancing. That would be too embarrassing.

"I was here just long enough to see who has the best dance moves. I was thinking that she might make for an interesting date."

With that I blushed and was more embarrassed and confused. I would make for an interesting date. Was this more vague and mysterious Ranger talking or was he serious? Why do the men in my life have to be so complicated?

"I have a job I would like to discuss with you. Since you are busy now, come by the office in the morning. I will be in all day catching up." With the slight curve to his lips, I could tell this was going to get interesting. Maybe he didn't know I was still working there, Tank might not have told him while he was in the wind. I was feeling feisty, probably the wine, so I was eager to push the envelope.

"Not so fast. I will come tomorrow under one condition- beat me."

I heard a slight chuckle. "Babe, you really want to do this? Since I am in a good mood, I will agree. Two dances, if you lose, you take this job. No questions asked. If you win, I will let you off the hook-this one time."

"Deal. If you don't want to embarrass yourself, pick whoever you want to dance against me. But I am warning you, those girls have nothing on me." I marched off to the living room with a cocky sway to my step only to be startled once again.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He whispered into my ear. I felt my insides warm up and melt away. _God, _I thought to myself, _I really need to get a new shower massager. _

"Babe."

Shit! I said that out loud.

Tank somehow had also joined the girls in the living room. He was looking a little too friendly with Lula tonight. They must be rekindling their relationship, but Lula hasn't said anything about it. She better not be holding any gossip out from me, especially since I can't be in the same room with her without a full investigation into my current status. I brought everyone up to speed on Ranger's deal and Lula and Tank started their own side bet. The loser had to treat the other to a night out. Something is definitely brewing there.

Being the gracious host that I am, I let Ranger pick the song. He made an interesting selection, Pump It by The Black Eyed Peas. I don't think he got the memo that his was one of the more intense songs. This was going to be easier than I thought. He made a halfhearted attempt to beat me, but in the end I earned five stars and 3,000 more points than he did. I was impressed with his score though. Generally, the scores are not that good the first time playing. I know mine were not. I couldn't help but harass him while he scanned for the next song.

"You know with all your training it is hard to believe you are not a little more coordinated. I bet my Grandma has better moves than you do." The words tumbled out of my mouth to quickly to stop them, hopefully I would not be paying for my liquid courage tomorrow with this job. For all I know he could change it to a 3 month exercising routine as payback.

"Babe, shut up and dance." Oh yes, I was definitely pushing some buttons now.

Our second song was Promiscuous by Nelly Furtado and Timberland. I started to think to myself about what could be on Ranger's iPod. I may not know him as well as I thought with these song selections tonight.

We started the song. I could feel the sexual tension building in the room. I thought I was going to suffocate. A new shower massager was going to be the second stop tomorrow morning after doughnuts of course. This song was a little less complicated and I could see that our scores were going to be closer, but I had to throw him off his game a bit. I started sing along with the lyrics. However, he matched my game and started singing as well. What was with Batman tonight? He really was the man of mystery. I think having him sing only threw me off my dancing. We knew we both had four stars when the song finished, so we had to advance to the next screen to find out the winner. Lula quickly increased her beat with Tank requiring the night out to be on the weekend. She wasn't going to be a loser and have a date on a Wednesday. He agreed, but he got to pick out her outfit. Something was definitely up with those two.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" I screamed jumping and shaking my arms in the air like I just won the lottery. I narrowly beat Ranger this time by 500 points. I was still trying to figure out where Batman got his moves, so much for embarrassing him. Lula was even more excited and celebrated with me. Connie was swiping our wine mugs trying to drown us out.

"Babe, double or nothing." I guess Batman didn't take to losing very well.

"Are you sure you want to risk it? I mean, what makes you think you can stop this? Bring it on if you insist, I am not going anywhere." Wow, the wine was really working a number on me tonight.

With a smirk on his face, he handed the controller over to Tank. "Same rules apply, all bets are up for grabs-ours and theirs. I am going to sit this dance out and let Tank take one for the team."

"Tank? You really have must confidence in his dancing skills. Whatever you want, I am just warming up."

"No, no, no" yelled Lula, "I won my date with Tankie fare and square. I am not giving that up." Tank whispered something in her ear and she just about fainted. "Double or nothing, I am in. I am going to end up on happy lady after this song."

Tank was allowed his choice of song. He scrolled through the list like he was on a mission. I was ecstatic with his selection- Party Rock Anthem by LMFAO. Little Tankie over there wouldn't know what hit him.

As the music started, I got into the zone. I had all the confidence in the world, but I need to make sure I stomped him. I could hear Lula and Connie sigh, wince and cheer while I was dancing. Other than that I didn't know what was going on around me. As the song came to an end, I glanced at our star scores, we both had five stars. _WTF! I thought this was going to be easy._ The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. The women on one side, the guys standing tall side by side with their arms crossed and blank expressions. Next thing I remember was hearing Lula scream and hit me, hard. I think I am going to have nice bruise.

"Damn you white girl. I gotta buy dinner, but at least I get to pick out his clothes. There won't be much to pick from if you know what I mean." Lula was gathering her things and offered to take Connie home. Tank intervened and offered to give both the ladies a ride home- Connie first though.

I slumped into the couch and stared at the screen. He beat me, not by much, but he beat me. He even beat the high score on the machine. Tank beat me by a lousy 37 points. Something didn't make sense.

"Babe."

"I have never lost. This was a sure thing. For once I finally thought there was something I could do better than you, better than any Merry Men. Who would have thought the skills possessed by your men, let alone TANKIE, to beat me at dancing?"

"Have you never really paid attention to the gym at RangeMan? We have a Wii there set up with some of their different fitness programs. The guys like to have variety. They like the dancing because it helps them stay quick on their feet."

I stood there in shook. I was played by Batman. The one time I thought I would have an advantage I should have known better. "Well at least I can say that I beat you!"

"Babe, I let you win." With that he pulled me close and brought his lips to my ear. At the lowest, deepest tone possible, he whispered, "See you in the morning." Chills went down my spine. Great Stephanie, what have you gotten yourself into this time?

I yelled cheater at the top of my lungs, but he was gone by the time I recovered enough to speak.


	2. Chapter 2

The Dance, the Deal and the Job

Note: I do not own anything, all belongs to JE. This is my first fanfic, so please be kind. Thank you to everyone for all the reviews and following adds.

Chapter 2

I rolled out of bed around nine and hopped in the shower. I had a killer hangover and wanted to look my best for my meeting with Ranger later. He was back and I was single with a broken shower massager. Temptation would be at an all time high. I needed to look the part. A modest four coats of mascara and I was ready. I walked out to the kitchen hopefully finding a Tastycake hidden somewhere, when I noticed a large fry and Coke with a note on the counter.

_Babe-_

_Had a situation, call me after 1. _

_-R_

God, how I loved that man. He brought me the cure and my meeting was delayed. This day keeps improving. Although I still need to face him, I had more time to prepare. I cleaned the apartment, Rex's cage and went to the store. I picked up the essentials, peanut butter, olives, carrots, coffee, milk and frosted flakes. I put everything away and puttered around the apartment. I was trying to delay the inevitable. It was 1:01 and my cell phone rang. Ugh, he always had perfect timing.

"Yo."

"Yo yourself."

"Are you avoiding this or do I need to send my men out to bring you in?" I could hear the slight chuckle in his voice.

"No, what do you want to talk about?"

"Be ready at three." Click and he was gone.

I tried to distract myself till three, but nothing was working. Mary Lou and Lula were not answering their phones. Val was at my mom's and I wasn't in the mood to hear all the kids screaming. At three on the dot, I heard the lock tumble and the door open. He knows I am here, can he really never knock. I started to pick up my purse and keys off the table to leave, but Ranger had other ideas. He was by my side in an instant, wrapping his arms around my waist and pulled me in for a kiss. My heart skipped a few beats. _God, he was amazing._ His lips covered my lips, my neck, caressing and pulling me in tighter. I let out a moan and he pulled back. It was the welcome home kiss I had been waiting for my whole life.

"Babe."

"Batman." Oh how I missed him. I was free with no strings attached. I could allow myself to feel and enjoy whatever Ranger had to offer and not feel guilty about it. I was fine with his 'love' conditions. I was single and didn't want to be strapped in a relationship anyways. Relationships don't suit me or my lifestyle either, just ask Morelli. Now if I could only tell this to Ranger. "Don't you think we should get going? Where are we going?"

"Not important," he said with a slight smile to the trained eye on Ranger's mannerism. He finally released me from his arms. I needed to get out of this apartment before I combusted. Don't get me wrong, I had nothing against a Ranger induced orgasm, but I needed to find out about this job before my judgment became clouded.

His Porsche Turbo was waiting for us in the lot. The job must not be too dangerous if he was taking his prized possession. I think he loves this car as much as I love cake, but he would never admit to loving something now would he. Somehow we managed to get stuck by a train. We were blocked in and had to wait it out. Ranger reached across the seat, unbuckled me, and pulled me across the car in one fell swoop. He started nibbling on me ear, making a trail of kisses to my lips. My lips parted to let him in. Our tongues danced together, massaging and caressing. I could feel my toes tingle and my body temperature rise. His hand started to move under my shirt, grazing my nipple through my lacey bra. A few moans escaped my lips. D_amn, he must have missed me._ _Shit!_

"You have no idea." Ranger grinned and let me go. He glanced down the tracks and the last car was approaching. I slid across the car back to my seat and adjusted myself. I tried not to look to my left. I could still feel Ranger grinning at me and I really need to learn to keep my thoughts to myself. I rolled the window down to get some fresh air and clear my head.

We headed out of town. My best guess was Point Pleasant, but you never know with Ranger. Especially with the way he has been acting the last twenty-four hours. Hell, has it even been that long yet? I wondered how much he knew about the last four months since he had been gone. Had he been filled in on the 'Burg gossip mill by the Merry Men? Ranger wouldn't pry me for details. He would only want a yes or no answer, if he even asked. He would more than likely follow my advances and what I was willing to offer. Did I just want to offer myself up to him or tell him I don't care about his conditions? I just wanted someone to date when I felt like it and sleep with when sugar and shower situation warranted it.

"Babe, I smell smoke."

"Sorry, I was thinking. Did you say something?"

"No" he chuckled, "but your stomach did. You must be in some deep thought to not notice it. I couldn't focus it was so loud."

"Shut it!" I yelled and jabbed him in his side. "Since I don't know where we are going, you can decide the food situation." He smiled and nodded.

We reached Point Pleasant and he followed the road the opposite way- away from town and the beach. After fifteen minutes, we reached a private gated drive. He fobbed his way in and we approached a house. Well a house by Batman's standards, a mansion to anyone else. Batman never fails to amaze me and seems to keep living up to the name. He unlocked the door and let me in. "The fridge should be stocked. Have whatever you want."

"As you wish Batman." I headed inside wondering if this house came with a tour guide. He jerked me back and pulled me against his chest.

"If I had my wish, it would have nothing to do with food." He let me go and I stumbled away like I was drunk. I wish he didn't have that affect on me or at least I could hide it better. He knew how to push my buttons and turn me on at any time.

I made my way through the house. The rooms seemed to open into each other, the back of the house was lined with windows and you could see the beach and ocean from each room. There was a large wrap around deck on the back of the house with stairs that lead down to the beach. There was massive stone fireplace. The house was decorated in earth tones and oversized furniture. Probably necessary if any of the Merry Men spent time here. Those guys were not your average sized human. They were some sub-breed and indestructible. The living room was at the center of the house and flanked on either side with the kitchen on the far end and an office and den on the other. There was a massive staircase that circled off the entry way that leads upstairs. I assume there were multiple bedrooms up there, but I didn't want to have any temptation to see what was up there, yet. I made my way into the kitchen. Rich chocolate walnut cabinets covered the walls with white granite counter tops. There was an oversized island with a stove and bar stools on the opposite side. A large dining room table with chairs to hold ten people were off to the side. I wonder who else used this place.

I opened the fridge and it looked like the Ella was the one responsible to filling it up. I took out four containers and built a mini platter to sample all that there was. I placed it in the microwave and took a seat at the bar stools. If this is the extent to the job, lounge on the beach all day and eat- I was going to be just fine. A girl could only dream right? I removed the food and sat back down to start eating. I took my first bite and moaned with delight. Ella was definitely responsible for the food and she deserved a raise. I heard a chuckle and dropped my fork.

"I see you found the kitchen. Is there anything else you need?"

"Yes, but it doesn't involve food."

"Don't play with fire, babe." He prepared himself a salad and took a seat next to me. He opened two beers and handed me one.

"Since when do you drink when you are on the job?"

"This isn't the job. This is setting the mood for the job. I also needed to get away for a day and clear my head before tomorrow. This is where you come. We can discuss the job here just as easy as we could in the office."

"So what is this place? Is this the bat cave?"

"No, this is owned by RangeMan. It is a house we keep for when someone needs some time off, a break. Somewhere they can go to relax and unwind. Sometimes a few of the guys have their families stay when here when they come to visit. Do you want to know about the job?"

"Might as well."

"I have been asked to work on a low risk government assignment. I will be in Colorado for at least a month, maybe longer. I will be taking a job in the security department of a large corporation. There is some suspicious activity and I will be an internal investigator. I am supposed to leave by the end of the week and I will have a week to get situated out there before I start working. I need your help with this. Part of my cover and background story is that I am a newlywed. I am allowed to pick whomever I want, any agent or person to be my wife."

I sat there staring at his blank expression as he was telling me the details of his next assignment. Generally, he didn't come back and go away again this quickly. It must be important for him to do this, let alone tell me details of it. In all the time I have known him, I only know that he has left after the fact and when he returns. Nothing more. Then it made sense, he was supposed to be a newlywed, he needed a wife. Apparently I was the choice. What did this all mean? I was supposed to up and move to Colorado and play housewife to my husband. Pretty ironic given that I broke things off with Morelli because he wanted me to become his housewife. I couldn't just leave Jersey for a month. That is what he said at least a month, maybe longer. My head was spinning with too many unknowns.

"Babe, did you hear what I said? I need your help on this. I want you to go with me. It is important. I don't think I ask for too much. I know it will be hard. I worked out a deal with the powers that be. They have agreed and trust my judgment that you are the best person for the job. They have agreed to pay you $10,000 per month that you are required to be my wife. They have outlined a cover story to help us create our history and background. If you agree, we will spend the rest of the week here working out the details and preparing. We will leave next Sunday for Colorado. This is going to require you to be undercover, that means leaving behind your family and friends until it is completed. No contact. No phone calls, emails, text. Nothing. Can you help me with this?"

"I can do whatever you want for $10,000 a month." _Damn! Why don't I think before I speak. _

"Then it is done. I will need to make a few phone calls. Be ready for a meeting tomorrow morning at 1000. We have work to do."

"Before we leave and get down to business. Can you do one thing for me?"

"Anything your body desires." He grinned and I know my face was at least six shades darker than it was previously.

"Call the guys over, I want to have a dance party. I want to see how well the rest of your men can shake it."

"Deal." He said with a chuckle. "You don't know what you got yourself into. You might as well invite Lula and Connie. We are going to need more estrogen at this party." He placed a kiss on my forehead and headed for the office.


	3. Chapter 3

The Dance, the Deal and the Job

Note: I do not own anything, all belongs to JE. This is my first fanfic, so please be kind. As some have indicated, the first part of the story is a repost- the original that was up went to chapter 12 or 13. I am up to 17 now. Thanks!

Chapter 3

I cleaned up the food mess and took inventory of everything we had. We would have plenty of food for everyone tonight. Not that I knew how many people are coming, but Ella had the fridge and freezer packed full of ready-made meals and snacks. It was going on five so I decided to check in with Ranger to see when everyone would get here. He was on the phone with Tank as I walked in. I sat across from him in an open chair. I moaned as the chair took me in. It was so comfortable and it overtook my senses.

"Babe," he said as snapping his phone closed, "I can give you a real reason to make that noise. A chair should not make you do that unless I am in the chair too."

I blushed, closed my eyes and hoped this was a bizarre dream and I was sleeping in my bed. I opened my eyes and looked around. Ranger was leaning down to me in the chair. He placed a delicate kiss on my lips. _Nope, this is definitely not a dream. _

"Will you ever learn to keep your thoughts to yourself?" He sat down in the chair next to mine and moaned.

"Asshole!" I jumped up and jabbed him in the ribs. He grabbed hold of me before I could get away and started tickling me. I twisted and turned, screamed and laughed, but I could not escape Ranger's grip. "Stop, I think I might pee my pants." Ranger stopped, pulled me close and kissed me. I couldn't resist it. I kissed him back, pulled my arms up around his neck and tugged on his hair. He grunted and started moving the kisses down my neck to my collarbone. I felt his hands move up my back and slide under my shirt. I shivered and he squeezed me even tighter. I started pulling his shirt up and over his head. I was finally going to get Ranger induced orgasm. Then it all stopped.

"Damn it Babe. We've got company." He stood up and placed me beside him. "You may want to take a few minutes to compose yourself, so they don't get any ideas. I will great them. Let the party begin." He placed one last kiss on my forehead and left.

Why, why, why? I was so close to getting what I wanted and now it was going to have to wait. I hope Ranger doesn't come to his senses in the next few hours and realize that this maybe a mistake. I made my way to the bathroom off the office and freshened up. Well as best I could with this not being my personal bathroom.

I walked into the kitchen to see everyone.

"Hey Beautiful, I thought maybe Ranger had you locked away, tied to his bed and we wouldn't get to see you," Lester said as he hugged me. Hopefully that was only loud enough for the two of us to hear and not the whole room.

"Santos, don't let me kick you out before the real fun begins," barked Ranger. _Great everyone heard._

Lula ran over and hugged me next. "Girl, can you believe the bat cave? Tank says it is not, but I know he is lying."

"Yeah, this place is pretty great, but I am pretty sure it is not the bat cave." We laughed and took a seat on the bar stools. There were a few faces that I didn't recognize and they were all female. It seems that the guys brought their girlfriends if they had one. Introductions were made around the room while Lester and Ranger unloaded the vehicles with even more food and beer than could possibly fit in the fridge. Apparently the guys were prepared to a night to relax and have a good time. Why didn't I think of this sooner?

There seemed to be an equal amount of women to men. This could make for an interesting evening. If you count Lester and Connie as a couple, since they are the only single ones in the room. Wait, if you could count Ranger and I as a couple, then that rule applies. My head was spinning. I needed a beer to relax. On cue, Ranger had two Coronas with limes in his hands. He handed one to me and took a long draw from the other. _I guess his body is not a temple tonight. _

He leaned in and whispered in my ear, "Nope, but yours will be later and I am going to worship it."

I quickly wanted to change the subject, so I started introducing myself to some of the other ladies. I guess they all knew who I was thanks to their men telling embarrassing stories about me after hours. Besides Tank and Lula, Hal brought Erika, who he has been dating for about eight months. Bobby brought Rose, who he was engaged to. Lester was single this evening saying he had too many women to pick from, but we all knew he was lying. We all talked and ate in the kitchen, loosing up and getting to know the girls better. Erika and Rose would not be what I pictured for either of the men, but as I talked to them more I really started to like them.

The men all drifted into the den. There was some football game on and they needed to check the score. The ladies stayed in the kitchen to gossip about everything from our mysterious RangeMan to who was on the current season of Dancing with the Stars. We laughed and joked like we had known each other for awhile. Too bad I would be leaving in a week otherwise I would make this our new girl's night. We grabbed a bunch of beers and headed to the den to join the guys. We were greeted with cheers since their beers were empty and they didn't want to leave the TV with only minutes remaining.

Lula found herself an open spot next to Tank on chocolate brown leather love seat. Erika and Rose joined their men on the large sectional sofa that wrapped around the lounge area. Lester was at one end and motioned for Connie to sit next to him. He whispered something in her ear and she kissed him on the check. I guess they were happy to be each others date tonight. I went to sit down in the recliner next to Ranger and he pulled me over to sit on his lap. Something must be in the air tonight. He was never this affectionate before, especially with a room full of people.

"Just practicing for next week," he chuckled. _Damn ESP._

"Wait, what is next week?" Lula yelled. She was watching our every move and didn't miss a beat.

"Steph has to help me with a job out of state. She will be gone for a while."

"Uh-huh and when were you going to let us know? Is this what the party is about?"

"Sort of. I heard from Ranger that all the guys use Just Dance as part of their training. I agreed to help him with the job, but only if I got to see their moves. So how much longer do I have to watch football before I get to see your moves?"

Lester sprung from his seat and started to set up the game. He started to explain the rules. "Everyone's name will go in the bowl; two names will be pulled for the first round. Winner stays, loser walks and another name is drawn. This will continue until one person is able to beat everyone. To sweeten the deal and since I am a greedy man, I will throw in hundred dollars for the winner to claim."

Not to be out done, Ranger, Hal, Bobby and Tank also threw down a hundred dollars each. Something about a room full of testosterone and the men had to see who had the biggest pair. I didn't care, since I thought I had a good shot at winning. The more money, the better. This was going to be an interesting night.

The guys all left the room. We all sat there and laughed thinking how seriously they were all taking this. I guess they were all up for the challenge and maybe they did really play this in the gym. I was going to have to check out their setup next time I was at the office. Everyone but Ranger slowly came back to the den. They brought more beer and drinks to stock up the wet bar in the room. I guess no one was going to be leaving anytime soon. Lester brought a bunch of snacks with him. They all seemed to change out of the clothes they were in before and were now in gym shorts and t-shirts. Seriously, I had to wear jeans why can't they. I left to use the bathroom while the guys rearranged the furniture and made more jabs at one another about their moves.

I came out of the bathroom and ran into Ranger in the dark. He grabbed hold of me and pulled me close. He pressed his lips against mine and I caved. I grabbed his shirt and slid my hand around his back. _God, this is going to be a long night. _

"Babe."

"I need to work on that."

"Yep. There is a change of clothes for you on my bed upstairs, if you want to slip into something a little more comfortable. I can show if you want, but I don't think I would make it back down." I could feel my face turning red. Good thing this hallway is dark.

I made my way upstairs checking out all the bedrooms, there were four bedrooms in addition to the master bedroom. I walked in and I was speechless. The rich chocolate brown wood of the canopy bed was offset by crisp bright white sheets. I couldn't imagine how amazing Ranger's body would look against those sheets. I walked across the room through the seating area and fireplace on the other side of the bed. There was a private balcony that overlooked the ocean. There was a double chaise lounge with pillows piled up. I was torn. I now had two spots I wanted to take advantage of Ranger at. I have to stop thinking like this. I needed to talk to him before I made any moves or better yet, he made any moves. I noticed there were two sets of clothing, if you could call them that. Option one was black stretch Capri yoga pants with a green tank top or option two a pair of low-rise lace panties and black RangeMan t-shirt. Since we had company I opted for the yoga pants and tank. I did put on the panties just in case.

I know how his lifestyle is and I know how he feels about relationships. He has made it clear on numerous occasions. I wanted to let him know that I didn't want a relationship, well a relationship like I had in the past. I didn't want to fight and argue or be criticized for my job. I wanted to be free to come and go as I please. Not that I wanted an open relationship, but I didn't want to feel pinned down and controlled. I needed to have my own sense of independence. I wanted someone to take me out and have a real date. I couldn't remember the last time I was actually taken out on a date. Date night for Joe was ordering in and watching a ball game. That was fine, but I wanted to get dressed up and given some attention once in a while.

I headed back down the stairs and Ranger was standing there waiting. "I smell smoke. I thought I was going to have to send a search party."

"I was just admiring the rest of the view." I walked past him, but he grabbed my arm.

"I want to increase the wager. If I win, I get you in my bed tonight. If you win, well what do you want? Me in your bed?"

"Deal, but if I win you have to do whatever I say tonight." He pulled me even closer and sealed the deal with a kiss. Lester yelled from us to hurry up. I guess he was in a hurry to lose. The other girls had also changed into more comfortable clothing. I guess they came prepared as well.

Lester set the Wii to the non-stop dance shuffle. The songs would play at random and no one would get the advantage by picking a song they were good at.

"So who is the best dancer at Rangeman," I asked. The guys all snickered and finally Tank spoke up. "The best dancer is here tonight, maybe they will reveal themselves, maybe they won't. Only time will tell. I will say this, the last time we played the pot was two grand. We take any competition, no matter what it is, very serious. Erika and Connie you're up first."

We went a few rounds, no one won more than three dances in a row. I think the guys were just taking it easy on each other and their girls. They were stalking their prey, seeing how good we all were. I however, was doing the same thing. This competition was mine to lose and I didn't want to show all my cards. I would be $500 richer and Ranger would have to do whatever I said. Everyone had faced each other at least once, except for Ranger and me. It seemed that random draw did not allow us to face each other. The guys started side bets of ten and twenty dollars for some of the individual dances. I caught on quickly to Ranger's betting trends, he only bet on me, except for when I faced Tank. I lost to him twice tonight. Ranger and Tank faced each other and that was the funniest match up of the night. Two ex-Army Rangers were battling it out to Baby One More Time by Britney Spears. Not to mention that Tank seemed to be able to sing and dance at the same time. I thought Lula was going to jump his bones right there. In the end Ranger pulled out over Tank, he had the better shimmy.

"So you and Batman are going undercover together? You get to be his wife," asked Lula.

"Yeah, I don't know all the details. I will find out later this week. But I will not be back to home for at least a month, possibly longer. I will be paid. It is a low risk job, but he needs someone, me, to help him with his cover story. I won't be able to call or email anyone. That is why I asked him to have everyone over tonight. I wanted to see everyone one last time."

"Well, you will be safe and in Batman's bed every night. I wouldn't be complaining too bad. No skips to chase, no garbage thrown at you and your car will be safe. I can keep an eye on your apartment."

"Thanks Lula."

Ranger had also taken out Connie and Erika while we chatted. Lester was next to face to him. Again, the competition was close between the guys, but Ranger pulled out the win by fifty-six points. I was getting nervous that I was going to have to face him sooner than I wanted to. They guys all had a good buzz going and couldn't stop harassing and making fun of each other. It was great to see them like this outside of the office. They could really let their guard done here. It is not like when a few of us would hang out at a bar. They were always in the defensive mood. I saw Ranger smile and laugh more tonight than I think I ever have before. That would be something to remember for later.


	4. Chapter 4

The Dance, the Deal and the Job

Note: Thanks for all the reviews. Hope you enjoy this one.

Chapter 4

Ranger easily defeated Lula and Rose next. Lula would have won if we were being judge on most dangerous dancer. She let go of the remote and it flew across the room taking out a few beer bottles in the process. Lula was pretty drunk and kept dancing. She didn't even know the remote was missing. We took a break to clean up the broken glass. I was starting to get nervous at the idea of dancing against Ranger again. I went to the bathroom to collect myself. What was it about him that did this to me? The laws of attraction were in full force tonight. I could not turn them off. This was going to be long week and who knew what the next month had in store for me. I splashed some water on my face and went to the kitchen. I needed something sugary and sweet. I started with the fridge and moved onto the cabinets.

"What are you looking for?" A deep voice hummed in my ear. I jumped three feet and backed into the cabinets.

"Jesus! Why do you have to do that to me?" I backed away trying not to appear too distracted and flustered again.

"Babe, you should be more aware of your surroundings. We will need to work on that. Good thing I will have you all to myself for the next month."

"Cake! I need some cake!" He spun me around and there was a chocolate cake. "Do you think Ella would have forgotten?" he said with a smirk.

I cut myself a piece and could feel my body relax with the first bite. "You really need to give that woman a raise. She can do amazing things with food. Have you ever tried it? Come on, just one bite won't hurt the temple, please?" He moved in closer, removed the plate from my hands and spoke just above a whisper. "Yes." I could feel his lips move against mine when he spoke. He pressed into me and went in for the kill, licking the traces of frosting off my lips. The kiss was different from before. There was passion behind it that I hadn't felt before. I felt my body warm up, my toes tingled and I couldn't get enough. He pulled back and looked in my eyes. "It's better than I remember."

"Damn Batman, I am gonna have to have me some of that cake. Tank isn't gonna know what hit him," Lula said while fanning herself.

"We should probably get back to the game." I paused, leaving the kitchen last and fanning myself as walked out. _God, he is something else._

"Babe." He chuckled and looked back at me. I really need to work on that.

Hal was the next to face Ranger. After this it was between Bobby and me. Ranger couldn't win. Who would have thought that Batman had dance moves? Hal was a decent dancer, but didn't stand a chance to Ranger. Bobby's name was drawn next and he went down quickly. Bobby had too much to drink by this point and there was nothing coordinated about his dance moves. It was up to me to stop Ranger from taking the whole pot.

Everyone who was not passed out, Bobby, were placing their own personal bets with each other. Ranger and I already had ours set. There was no turning back now. _Come on Stephanie, you can do this._ It was going to be rematch from the night before, Promiscuous. I focused and got in the zone. I couldn't hear anyone around me. I know they were yelling and cheering, but I was determined to win. I could feel the tension build in my body as I danced. This was more stressful than the time I was attached by Slayers and Mooner rescued me on the school bus. I was breathing heavy and sweating by the time the song was over, Ranger glanced my way and smiled. The room was dead silent as we waited for the scores to pop up on the screen. I know I hit almost if not all the moves with a perfect rating. I had no idea how Ranger did. I danced the song from memory. I knew it pretty well, I didn't really look at the screen when I was dancing. The scores popped up and Ranger beat me by eight points.

"NO!" I yelled. The guys all cheered and the girls moaned in disappointment.

"Better luck next time Babe." He reached over and wiped the sweat of my face. He leaned into my ear, "First thing I am going to do is clean you up and then I will get you dirty again." I shivered at the thought. Nothing was better than a Ranger induced orgasm, but he was in complete control tonight. I know I am not going to be leaving this house the same person I came in.

"What was the deal last night? I smoked your ass. I only lost to Tank."

"Like I said last night, I let you win."

Tank shook his head and nodded in agreement. "He's right Bombshell, he won the pot last time at RangeMan. I don't know what it is, but his Cuban blood serves him well on the dance floor."

I couldn't believe it. He played me and I let him. I should have known better. He wouldn't have agreed to this if he didn't think he was going to win. Ranger didn't like to embarrass himself and I had never seen or heard that he danced before. I should know better by now to not assume anything when it comes to Ranger.

The guys helped clean up most of the food and empty beer bottles before they left. It let them sober up enough to get back to Haywood. I also think that one of their side bets was that Ranger got the house to himself. No one will ever admit to it, but I am pretty sure they did it. They all needed to be there for the Monday morning meeting, only Ranger was allowed to skip out due to his new assignment.

I had stretched out on the deck while the guys loaded up and said their goodbyes. Ranger would be in contact with them this week finalizing things before he leaves and then the office would be on their own again without him. He would be working from the beach house all week. I felt arms reach around me and pulled me up from the lounger I was in.

"Hey, I was just getting comfy. Why did you have to ruin it?"

"Babe. I have better ideas for getting comfortable."

"Hold that thought, I need to go to the bathroom." He set me down and stretched out by himself. I sneaked upstairs to ditch the yoga pants and wear only the panties and t-shirt. I was feeling feisty again thanks to the alcohol and wanted to see how far I could push it. I freshened up and walked back outside.

His eyes were closed and for once it actually looked like he was relaxed. I hated to disturb him, but I needed to get some revenge. I climbed on the chair and lowered by body so I was straddling him.

"Babe, don't start something you can't finish."

"Double or nothing. I want a rematch. One song- random selection."

"Can't you just accept defeat and what I have planned for you?"

"No." I leaned in just as he did in the kitchen to me early. I brushed his lips with mine while I spoke, "Are you scared?" I could feel that he was interested in other things, but it was going to have to wait. He grabbed hold of my ass and grinned, "No, but you better be." I jumped up and ran into the den.

"This is not going to be fair if you wear that," Ranger said with his blank face. I could see something different in his eyes. He couldn't hide from me completely tonight.

"Take it or leave it Ranger. Are you scared?" He walked across the room and powered the Wii up. As luck would have it, Only Girl by Riahanna was selected. Great, how was I going to focus now. My anthem was going to be played and I needed to focus. I needed to get control of the rest of the night. Ranger moved behind me as the song started to play. "I have to say that either way, I am going to enjoy the view from back here."

"Shut up and dance!"

****Ranger POV****

As the music started, I couldn't help but take a step back. Stephanie had an amazing body and her ass peeked out just below the hem of the shirt to drive me crazy. It took everything in me to not bend her over the couch and take her right here. I would play by her game though. She wanted a rematch and I was going to give it to her. This was usually one of the songs that I avoided playing, it was way to girly for me.

She had a different attitude when she approached the dance. There was some sassy-ness to her moves that I didn't see earlier in the night. Believe me I was watching her every move. I was determined to win so I could kick everyone out and have the house to myself. That was part of the bet the ladies didn't know about. I wanted her alone and my men would give me that. Granted, they didn't go down without a fight. If they didn't ease up, they knew I would find time to make a special trip back to Trenton to take them to the mats before we left.

I don't know what it was about this girl, but I had it bad for her. I knew she was no longer with Morelli, Tank had filled me in, and I knew she was still working at RangeMan even after I left. I had no idea where her head was at, but I wanted to find out. I know I sent her mixed signals in the past. Over the past few years, I had come to realize that the only way I knew that I could be happy was with her in my life. I didn't want to force her away from Morelli, but I would stand by and wait patiently, as patiently as I knew how, for my time.

I know I am not good at relationships, but I was wanted to give it a try for her. She was worth it. If I waited too long someone else would come in and take her from me. I may not have another shot if I wait too much longer. Hopefully this new assignment I had would help push us in the right direction. I could have done it on my own, but I wanted her to be there with me. I think the time away will let us focus on each other and not what everyone has to say, we could start a relationship or whatever it is to be in peace. The job was a low risk, mostly internal surveillance of the company, so she wouldn't be in any danger. Well, as much danger as she can keep herself out of.

I was too distracted by her body and moves that I couldn't focus on my own dancing. She swayed her hips and rocked her ass like she was it. _God, she was an amazing._ She would dip down and come back up, popping her ass out. If she isn't doing this on purpose to distract me, I would pay her to do it again for me. The song came to a close and I quickly sat back down in the recliner to hide my obvious attraction and approval of her dancing. I knew before the score appeared on the screen that I had lost. I didn't mind losing under these circumstances. I distracted and turned on. I was still a winner in my book.

"Yeah! Who's the loser now Batman," she cheered as she jumped up and down. She picked the money up and sat down on the edge of the coffee table. I think she was trying to keep a slight distance from me on purpose. "So I guess I am in charge now and you owe me another $500."

"Babe. Even though you cheated, I agreed. Don't worry, I always pay my debts."

"What do you mean I cheated? I can't help you couldn't find your inner diva tonight." She slowly walked closer to me and delivered her lines like she didn't know what I was talking about.

"No I couldn't, but I am really excited that you decided to wear the other outfit. I would still consider myself a winner. You can let Charlie Sheen know." I closed the gap between us and pulled her in. I had been restraining myself too long. I dragged my face along her collarbone, grazing my lips along, taking in a deep breath to inhale her scent. Whatever it was, I was addicted and couldn't get enough. I heard a low muffled moan as I moved up her neck and nibbled on her ear lobe. I could feel her pull me closer, I was definitely not going to be able to hide my excitement any longer.


	5. Chapter 5

The Dance, the Deal and the Job

Note: Thanks for all the reviews and sorry for the delay keeping you all waiting for the next chapter. I was on a writing kick and I somehow finished the story! I hope to post 2-3 chapters a week as long as RL cooperates. All mistakes are mine. Thanks!

Chapter 5

God was Ranger amazing. I didn't know a hug could get me this excited. _Shit. _This was supposed to be my night to control him. My mind was telling me to stop, but my body was telling me to let him continue. I won and now I should be in control. My plan worked perfectly. I just needed to find the power to tell myself no. I wanted him bad, but I couldn't look so desperate. I could feel what he wanted too, but I wasn't going to give into him this easily. As he began to kiss me, I finally cleared my head enough to stop. "Um, since when did the loser get to decide on the evening's activities?" He continued to try and kiss me as he answered. "Since…you…cheated."

I pulled back and looked up and down his body. His shirt had been removed, revealing his chiseled physique. He was rock hard from head to toe and everywhere in between. I knew where I wanted this to go, but not yet. "This is not what I had in mind, so put your shirt on I can't focus like this."

Ranger chuckled and reached down for it. He ran his hands down my legs and back up as he picked up the shirt. I tried to control myself, but I couldn't. I let out a shiver as he kissed the inside of my thighs. "A deal is a deal, but I will get what I want, I always do."

"So if we are going to be husband and wife, I have a few questions I want answered first." I was finally able to put together a complete sentence and thought. A small victory of self control I thought to myself.

"Deal, where do want to do this?"

"Follow me." I walked through the kitchen and grabbed a few more drinks. Ranger followed close behind. I stopped at the base of the stairs. "You go first. I don't want to distract you again. I want to enjoy the view from the balcony again."

"Babe, you're not going to be difficult, are you?"

"Nothing you can't handle. I am sure you have faced worse when you were off saving the world from the big bad wolf."

I set my drinks on the table to the side of the chaise lounge. Ranger turned on the gas fire pit and I went inside for a blanket. I didn't want to put my pants on, but I didn't want to be cold either. Ranger was stretched out, sipping a Corona as I came back out. _At least he had his clothes on._

"Babe."

"Damn. Okay. If we are going to pull this off, I want to know a few things. I don't want to learn about a fake Ranger, or whatever your name will be. I want to know about the real Ranger. We can make up facts about our relationship, but I want to know more about you. You can't hide from me. You will be the only person I know, so I want to make sure I know the real you." I sat Indian style next to him at the foot of the chaise. I didn't want to get too comfortable before I got my answers. He passed me a Corona. I chugged half of it, before I realized it.

"Relax babe, what is your first question?" He signaled for me to lay next to him. I hesitated. "Don't worry, I won't bite. Not yet at least."

"Fine, but only because I haven't tested out the pillows yet." We both laid on our sides facing each other. Ranger tucked a loose curl behind my ear. "Why don't you laugh more? I like hearing you laugh tonight, but I have never really heard it before."

"First, call me Carlos. We will both be using our own first names. It is easier that way. Second, I do laugh. I take my business and work seriously. I need to present an image and maintain control. I laugh plenty off the clock and whenever you blow up a car. Well, after I know you are safe. I think I have laughed a lot more since I met you. I had learned to expect the unexpected when you are involved. Sometimes it is hard to let loose in Trenton. I am always on call and my line of work is very stressful."

"Fair enough. What is your favorite movie?"

Ranger took a long draw from his beer and shook his head. "Not so fast, do I get to ask any questions?" I nodded. "When was your last real date?"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Ranger shook his head again. "It doesn't matter, just answer the question."

"Jerk. I guess it would depend on what you considered a date. Morelli thought Pino's was a date on the rare occasion we didn't order in. Dickie took me out a few times, but it was nothing special. Never dinner and a movie or dancing on the same night. I guess I have never had the full wine and dine experience. Maybe my pretend husband can change that for a temporary moment of my life." I slowly sipped my beer and stared up at the stars. I couldn't make eye contact with him right now.

Ranger followed my lead and rolled over to look at the stars as well. "You deserved better than that. Hopefully, your pretend husband can find time to take you out. To answer your question, The Shawshank Redemption. What did you want to be when you grew up?"

"I knew what I didn't want to be. A housewife. I wanted to have a voice. I didn't want someone telling me what to do. I wanted to have choices and options and not be forced to do anything. I didn't want to be like my mother. Val did, but I didn't. But somehow, I got mixed up." I paused thinking back to my failed marriage and I could feel Ranger stroking my hair. I leaned in closer to him. "I got pressured by everyone around me to marry Dickie. It would be safe and he was a lawyer. You couldn't do any better by 'Burg standards. I still don't know what I was thinking. I never admitted this to anyone before, but I was relieved when I found him cheating on me. It gave me an out and my mom would be able to understand better. Not that she would ever like the divorce, but it could be somewhat justified to her. I lost everything I had and have struggled since, but I am happier than I would have been married."

"That is all that matters, Babe. You wouldn't be the person you are today if you didn't experience the life you have had. It takes a lot to stand on your own and not have the support of your family." He leaned down and kissed my forehead.

"Thanks, so what did little Carlos want to be when he grew up?"

"You should know by now that there is nothing little about Carlos." I jabbed him in his side. Ranger grabbed me and started tickling. I tried getting loose from his grip, but between the alcohol taking over our bodies, especially mine, I didn't stand a chance. I am such a light weight. I was helpless. I tried getting a few jabs in and tickling him back. I couldn't seem to find his sweet spot. He found mine. It didn't help that I was the most sensitive person out there. We rolled and tossed for control, waiting to see who would give in first. I reached down for Ranger's knees. I pinched and tickled the back of his knee and he jumped up. I found his sweet spot. He couldn't stop laughing. Finally, he was no longer in control. I had him laughing like a little girl. He was unable to focus on me as he tried to get me to stop. We both were sitting upright and hesitated for a second. Staring into his eyes, I saw something I hadn't seen before.

His guard was down. This wasn't the Ranger I knew. Maybe this was Carlos coming out. I saw the temptation in his eyes and desire. I couldn't fight the urge any longer. I moved in closer and melted our bodies together as one. He grabbed hold of me and pulled me down on the chaise. He ran his lips across my shoulders and slid his hand under my shirt, picking up where he left off earlier in the evening. He was taking things slowly, exploring every part of my body. I shivered as the wind picked up across the ocean and goose bumps covered my arms. Ranger hesitated and stood up. Before I could react, he pulled me up in his arms and carried me to the bed.

I thought Ranger was great in bed, but Carlos was a god. He made love with a passion, taking time to awaken and alert every sense on my body. He gave me two Carlos induced orgasms before we both finally came together on the third one and I screamed out as I lost control. I was ruined for all other men for good for sure and I had no idea yet. I was in a daze, my mind was fogged and I couldn't think clearly. I wanted more, but I wasn't sure I could handle it.

"Say it again Babe."

"What," I rolled over to face Ranger as he rolled onto his side.

"Say my name," he said and he pulled me in close.

"Carlos."

"Good, that is what I want to hear every time we are in bed. I don't want to be Ranger with you, I want to be Carlos." I squirmed to get away as my face blushed. I was usually not a screamer, but apparently I was for Carlos. _This is going to be the best month of my life._

"Babe."

"Keep up the good work and I won't have a problem filling that request." He pulled me close again, spooning and nuzzled his face into my hair. "Good." We drifted off to sleep with the sounds of the ocean in the background.


	6. Chapter 6

The Dance, the Deal and the Job

Note: Thanks for all the reviews. Hope you enjoy this one. All mistakes are my own.

Chapter 6

I woke up as the sunlight filled the room. I rolled over forgetting where I was and fell out of bed. I stood up and felt the aftermath of all the beer from the night before. This was not going to be a good Monday. Then I remembered last night in more detail, the dancing, the questions and the sex. I remembered we woke up at least one more time in the middle of the night to satisfy Carlos' new desires. That is when I realized that he was not in the bed and I was left alone again. Not a memory I want to keep repeating with him. I walked to the balcony and the bottles were gone and the cushions were straightened up. I heard the faint sound of music playing and water running.

I quickly ran to the bathroom down the hall to freshen up before I looked in the master bath. Lord knows what I looked like normally in the morning and I could only imagine what a site I would be this morning. I stood with my ear to the door, trying to find out what he was doing before I entered. I could hear the water and music and someone was singing along with it. Who knew Batman sang in the shower? I slowly opened the door and walked in. I leaned against the sink and enjoyed the view. Boy did I enjoy the view.

"Do you want some company?" Ranger jumped three feet and dropped the bottle of Bvlgari.

"Babe."

"Aren't you the one always telling me to be more aware of my surroundings? I am aware and I see something I want."

"Don't let me stop you." We christened the shower as we had done with the balcony and bed a few hours earlier. This was really going to be the hardest month of my life. Hopefully, it went on for longer. I could handle this every morning and I really didn't need to be paid.

"If we don't end this soon, we are not going to be ready for the meeting. There are clothes for you in the closet. If there is anything else you need, let me know. We can get it here tomorrow," Ranger instructed as he dried of and walked off naked into the bedroom. Yeah, this was going to be a very hard and long month.

I was showered, dressed and hungry, so I made my way to the kitchen. I realized on the way that the house had somehow cleaned itself over night and the furniture was back to its original locations. I can't imagine how early Ranger got up considering on how late we were up. Ranger was eating an egg white omelet when I got to the kitchen.

"Who are the cleaning fairies and can they come to Colorado too?"

"Yes and no. I woke up at 5:30 while you were still pulling that Sleeping Beauty routine. I straightened up, went for a run on the beach and showered. Well you know the rest of the morning, but I can reenact it later if you want. To answer your question, I will be in Colorado, but I think my wife will have to share in the cleaning duties, since I will be working."

"I assume there will also be no Ella in Colorado. I don't know how this is going to work. What will we eat?" I questioned him as I cut a piece of cake and poured a glass of milk for my breakfast.

"No Ella is correct. We are newlyweds. We will have to live like a couple. Since we just moved out there and my wife doesn't have a job, she will be taking care of the house work and meal planning. Well, I may have to cook so we don't end up eating some form of sugar and chocolate for every meal, but the image will be that you are doing it." His grin and smart ass comments earned him an eye roll from me.

"This is going to be harder than I thought," I grumbled as I shoveled another bite of cake in my mouth. Ranger pulled me close and kissed me. "That is why we have a week to prepare."

The first part of Monday morning was spent meeting with the contact to give us further instruction for the operation. I didn't understand half of what was said or going on. All I could think about was that I would have Ranger, sorry Carlos, to myself. In my dream land, we would actually have a chance to be ourselves with no outside distractions. Well, except for the basis of our entire existence in Colorado was a complete lie and nothing was true. At some point the meeting ended and Ranger walked back to the table.

"Babe, did you pay attention to anything that was said?" I rolled my eyes and started looking for some lunch. Meetings were exhausting.

"Yes, I know we get to make up our own back story. So how do you think you swept me off my feet and convinced me to marry you?"

"That is the only thing you got from the four hour meeting." He paused and looked at my lunch. "Please tell me you are not eating more cake. Let me make you some lunch."

I took a big bite and let out a dramatic sigh. "I need to get my fill on Ella's cake before we leave. I don't know what I am going to miss more the cake or …"

"Babe, don't finish that sentence. I don't want to know what you are going to compare to cake. It's a cake and don't worry, by Thursday you should be able to make it yourself." I watched Ranger walk around the kitchen as he pulled together a sampler of some of Ella's dishes in the fridge. He, of course, had a salad. Then it dawned on me what he said.

"What do you mean I can make it myself? If it doesn't come frozen or precooked, I can't do it. I am a walking disaster in the kitchen." I gave him my best Jersey girl stare down hoping I could win and Ella would be coming with us.

"I said earlier we had a week to prepare. Ella is going to come out the next few days and teach you a few things. She is going to show you a few simple dishes that we both will be able to enjoy. I thought that it would help. She only agreed to do it if I let her teach you some desserts too. She knows you won't survive the potential stress of the move without them." I stared at him in shock and awe. He was really taking this seriously and probably somewhere in the back of his mind he had convinced himself that he didn't want to die of food poisoning from my cooking.

"Fine if you insist. But I only have to responsible for dinner four nights out of the week. You have to take care of the rest."

"Deal."

"And you have to eat what the other person makes. No exceptions."

"Babe. I will agree to any terms, but have you really thought this through yourself?" I nodded quickly before I had a chance to convince myself otherwise. Please God, don't let him make twigs and berries for dinner.

Ranger spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening tying up loose ends with RangeMan. He usually didn't go back in the wind so quickly after coming back, but he was needed and couldn't say no. Given the lack of special skills needed for my portion of the job, I spent the afternoon laying out on the porch. It was late August and it would be awhile before I would see sunlight like this again. I was not looking forward to the high mountains of Colorado and the snow if we were stuck there long enough. Dear God, let this assignment be completed before the real winter weather hits. I was in a deep sleep when I felt fingers running up my leg and over my butt, tugging on my bikini bottoms. I jumped up and nearly hit Ranger in the face with my arm.

"Babe."

"Damn it Ranger, why do you have to do that? Can't you make a little more noise?" He chuckled and pulled me tight to his body. "I have been trying to wake you up for 15 minutes. I was ready to get out my gun, but decided on plan B." I was reaching up place a kiss behind his ear, when my stomach growled.

"I guess it is time to feed the beast."

"Okie-dokie." Jeez, I was such a dork sometimes. I couldn't imagine what Ranger would think of me after a month of living together. He will probably kick me out before that between my vocabulary and cooking skills. I took the liberty of making dinner tonight. Well, I reheated some more of Ella's food in the fridge. Ranger had some fish and veggies with brown rice and I had some tamales.

"Do you want to join me downstairs?" Ranger asked as we were cleaning up the kitchen.

"Why what's downstairs?" I was puzzled. I didn't even realize there was a basement to this mansion he called a house.

"The gym." I immediately rolled my eyes and Ranger cut me short. "I was going to go for a run on the beach, but since it started raining I was going to go down and workout. I want to enjoy the beach as much as I can before we leave. You can join me even if you don't want to work out. We can talk and work on our story. Hopefully our evening will be filled with more action than talking, but we have to start sometime. " Ranger winked at me as he headed down the stairs.

There was a mini-RangeMan gym set up down here. Everything needed to work any muscle you wanted. It didn't take long for Ranger to kill my mood. "Babe, there will be a small gym set up at our house in Colorado. I am not saying you have to, but since you will be spending a lot of time at the house I can come up with a simple routine for you to do."

"I will think about." I said while I watched him stretch and hop on the treadmill. I felt silly sitting here watching him exercise. To keep myself from drooling, I decided it wouldn't hurt to at least walk on the treadmill. There was no way I would run like he was, but I could walk and talk at the same time. At least I hoped I could. As I started to get on the machine, Ranger stopped me. "There are clothes and proper footwear in the closet. Go change." Jeez, Ranger was creeping me out having his house fully stocked with clothing and shoes for me. Besides, I could walk the treadmill in flip flops. Who cares?

I changed my clothes and wasn't surprised when I put them on. I had on the tightest and smallest pair of black shorts and a black sports bra ever made. I walked back out and Ranger had moved on to some weight machine. He had the treadmill all set up for me and I started walking. I watched Ranger for a few minutes and the dirty thoughts that were racing through my mind were endless. So many ideas, too little time.

"Babe."

"Sorry. What do you think our story should be?"

"The company I will be working for knows that I am ex-military, but not to the extent that I really served. I figure we met when I was home on leave or shortly after I discharged. That way we don't have to field any questions about you living on military base or being a wife of a deployed solider. If we go on the basis of after I was discharged, we could say we started dating four years ago. After two years we got engaged and we were married six months ago in my hometown of Miami. It was a small ceremony with just close friends and family." Ranger just stared at me waiting for a response.

"Seems like you thought this through pretty well and sounds good to me. What were we doing before we moved to Colorado?" Watching Ranger work out, I would agree to anything he said. The specific details didn't matter as much. I could fake those if someone asked or change out the details of our real life with this fictional story.

"I was working with a firm in NYC providing security detail for some top executives. You were a lingerie buyer that was recently laid off. Does that work for you?" Ranger looked at me and he had me questioning my own limits on self control. I had him last night and this morning, but I still wanted more. "Hello? Earth to Babe."

"Yeah, whatever works." I could feel my face blush, hopefully the workout was covering some of it. Truth is, I didn't care what the story was. Chances were great that I would not meet or have to interact with anyone from his work. So no one would be asking me details of our marriage.

Ranger wrapped up his workout and came over to the treadmill. "Wow 3 miles, proud of you Babe."

"Thanks. Do you want to relax upstairs, maybe watch a movie? Or do you need to check in with the office some more?" I tried not to sound to desperate in my plea to spend some time together tonight. He spent all day in the office here working on things. I wanted to watch a scary movie and have him cuddle with me to calm me when I flinched and jumped.

"No I am done for the night. A movie sounds good." Ranger leaned down and planted a kiss on my check. "Feel free to ask any more questions you like, I am an open book for you. Last night wasn't a one time deal."

We headed upstairs, opting to take separate showers, and joined each other in the den. Ranger had made popcorn and brought a few beers in with him. I picked out The Ring from the DVD selection. I hadn't watched it in a long time, but I remember when I saw it in the theater it had scared the crap out of me. Ranger had never seen it. We laid together spooning on the couch as we watched the movie. Every time I jumped, Ranger chuckled and then kissed me. They were soft sweet pecks and did the trick to distract me from being embarrassed that a grown woman was scared of a movie. We didn't move after the movie ended. Ranger continued to hold

me, rubbing my arm, squeezing me and dropping kisses on the back of my neck. If this wasn't a part of heaven, I didn't know what was.

I was feeling a sense of openness that I hadn't felt before with Ranger. I felt the urge to clear the relationship air before we took this any further. I didn't want to be played at the end of this assignment and left hurt. I needed to let Ranger know what my feelings were about us or the potential of us. I had some confidence in myself and the position we were in that I could speak open and honestly. We were connected, but I couldn't see his face. I didn't know what his reaction would be, but I wanted to be able to get it all out and not distracted or thrown off by his blank faces. Or disappointed if he didn't have the reaction I was looking for.

I let out a sigh and figured here goes nothing. "Ranger, I have a few things I need to say before we get too wrapped up in this. I want you to know where I stand before we leave and I don't know what will happen when we get back." He tried to interrupt me. "No, let me just say this and then you can talk." He kissed the back of my neck and I started again.


	7. Chapter 7

The Dance, the Deal and the Job

Note: Love reading all the reviews and comments. All mistakes are my own. Thanks and enjoy!

Chapter 7

"You probably already know this, but Joe and I done. It is for good this time. He finally realized that I couldn't give him what he needed and it was best that we just went our separate ways. It's been about four months and I really think we both have accepted this. Neither one of us wants to go back to that on and off status, it doesn't benefit anyone." He hugged me tighter as an acknowledgment that he was listening and supporting me. He was keeping his word of not interrupting me. "If there is anyone that I want to have in my life, it is you. Before you think I am crazy hear me out. I know you say that your life doesn't lend itself to relationships and on and on. I get it. I don't think my life lends itself to relationships either or at least in the traditional sense. Hell you know how terrible I was with Morelli. I don't want a husband or kids any time soon if ever at this point. I am in no hurry to settle down. Kinda funny though considering what we are about to do for the next month. I think that my life is just starting to get entertaining and I am in a good place. I don't want to change a thing. Well except for my exploding car problem, but I just pay some extra insurance and don't have to worry about it." I could fell Ranger's body shake, he was trying not to laugh at the last part.

"I want there to be someone in my life that I can lean on when I need it, will support me and my choices. I want to still have freedom and make my own choices, no matter how crazy they may seem. I want to still be independent and think clearly for myself. I may make you mad for things I say or do, but it doesn't matter. I don't want to have to worry about hiding anything because you are not going to agree with my choices and actions. I want someone who wants to take me out to dinner and the movies or dancing. It doesn't have to be all the time, but sometimes I want you to make me feel like I am the only girl in the world as stupid and cliche as it may sound. I am important to you and matter in your life. I don't want to be stuck in a relationship with heavy burden and titles. I want to just take one day at a time and see where it goes. No pressure. Well that won't be too hard considering we are pretty good at covering the intimate aspect of a relationship, but I just want to have whatever it is called the way things are between us…besides best friends and more than friends with benefits. I don't think we can do the whole traditional boyfriend/girlfriend thing, but we can make our own rules."

I could feel the weight being lifted off my shoulders as I spoke. I hope I wasn't too confusing when I explained to Ranger how I felt. We laid there in silence for a few moments before he spoke. He was still holding me, but not stroking my arms or kissing my neck. It was like he was in shock and didn't know how to react. I was beginning to doubt myself and regretted being so bold when he finally responded.

"Babe, you know what was said in the past and my actions. I don't know what the future holds, but I know I want you to be part of it. I am opening and willing to try this out, whatever it is. I am not saying I will be perfect and I will make mistakes along the way. I know what it is like to not have you in my life and I don't want to go back to that. No pressure." I twisted in his arms, facing him face to face. "No pressure Batman." I don't remember much after that, but I do know what we christened our new partnership on the couch, beach and eventually the master bedroom deck. By the time we made it to bed the sun was starting to rise.

The next few days were spent mostly with Ella during the day. She taught me a few basic recipes with simple steps that I could make and both Ranger and I would enjoy. I was also the holder of Ella's recipe for chocolate cake. My first attempt was scary. While it tasted great, the cake looked terrible. The cake tore coming out of the pans and the frosting was filled with cake crumbs. It also had a slight lean to it, but once half the cake was eaten you couldn't tell anymore.

Ranger and I spent the evenings in the gym, watching movies and talking. He adapted his workout schedule to meet my needs. He would run on the beach in the morning, but wait and do his lifting in the evening. I would walk the treadmill while he lifted. We walked the beach a few times at midnight before heading to bed. Our conversations could cover any topic imaginable from our childhoods to me defending the Jersey Shore to Ranger. He insisted that there needed to be a covert military attack to rid the world of The Situation, Snooki and company. I however, thought they were all special part of society and a great comedic relief. We decided we would agree to disagree on this topic.

Ranger had said that the house we were moving to was in a gated community, safer that way, and that it would already be furnished with some of our belongings. He offered to take me shopping to get more clothes and personal items that would be needed. I was not one to refuse a chance to go shopping, so I wasn't going to argue with him. Little did I know that we were headed to NYC on Saturday to shop and stay the night. We would fly out of NYC for Colorado on Sunday afternoon. I don't think Ranger could have prepared himself for my, our, shopping trip. He let me go in any store I wanted, but some of them I couldn't get myself to buy anything. Some of the prices for a pair a jeans and top were more than two months rent on my apartment. Even though I knew Ranger didn't have limits with me, I had my own. He respected me and my internal turmoil and never pushed the limit. However, Saturday night at dinner all bets were off.

I was finishing my chocolate crème bruelle for dessert when I noticed Ranger pull a Tiffany's box from his suit pocket. I instantly tensed up and choked back my last bite. "Babe, don't worry. It isn't what you think it is. Well, I guess it is, but you are going to need this in the morning." He opened the box and set it in from of me. It was a simple platinum band with a solitaire diamond perched above it. It had more shine and sparkle than any ring I ever seen before. Behind it set a simple solid band. Our rings for our pretend marriage.

"You didn't need to go through all this trouble. You could have gotten something simple, less expensive. It didn't need to be this real." I shook my head in awe. Don't get me wrong this was amazing, but I thought was overkill for the simple job we were doing. "Babe, only the best for you." With that he leaned over and kissed me. Ranger quickly paid our bill and we made our way to the hotel. We consummated our pretend marriage several times that night, now that we officially had the rings to make this marriage look real.

We left for the airport at ten. Our flight was scheduled to depart at noon. Ranger had our purchases from yesterday shipped from the hotel directly to our house. He didn't want to hassle with checked baggage at the airport. We easily made it through security as Carlos and Stephanie Ruiz. Our flight took off on time, but other than that the flight was anything but normal. Our direct flight to Denver was rerouted to Chicago. There was a mechanical issue with the plane. We were all given meal vouchers and were told to wait in the terminal. The plane should be ready to go within three hours.

Ranger made a few phones calls while I scoped out the food situation in the terminal. There were a few overpriced restaurants offering everything from burgers to sushi. Every fast food option was available. I was ready to tour the terminal to see how many places I could eat with our vouchers since it was free when Ranger found me.

"Babe, come with me and then we will get something to eat." He was using his typical blank face but his eyes were dark. He was definitely up to something. He led the way through the terminal, a few doors and corridors. He messed with the lock and a door opened to a small suite complete with a bed and kitchenette. I was confused and intrigued with my mind wandering to dirty places.

"How did you pull this off Batman?" I said as I walked over to the bed. I felt Ranger grab hold of my waist and toss me on the bed. "If I told you, I would have to kill you," he whispered into my ear.

"Well then let's make the most of our delay." I was determined to make to most of Ranger's access to the pilot's suite. I knew traveling with Ranger would have extra perks, but an orgasm while flying commercial was not one of them. With that Ranger stripped me of all my clothes and pinned me underneath him. We got a little carried and made our way back into the terminal three orgasms later.

I made my way to three food stands I liked, picking up a milkshake, burger, fries, donuts and a caramel apple. I had all the major food groups covered. "Babe that food will kill you."

I gave him my best 'Burg eye roll. "Well after you performance back there, I need to replenish my reserves. Especially if that plane is delayed longer. Besides you think it is safe to eat fish tacos from a food stand. I bet that will kill you." He chuckled.

"Can I ask you what brought on the need to steal a pilot's suite?" I eyed him over my mound of food. "If I had to listen to the sounds you were making while you looking for a place to eat, I wouldn't be able to make it through the actual meal, let alone flight. I took one for the team." The explanation was good enough for me.

We finished eating and played eye spy in the terminal with the people while we waited for the plane to take off. I noticed Ranger seemed to be a little more agitated as time went on, but figured he would say something if it really mattered. As we were getting called to board the plane again, Ranger took off for the bathroom. I waited for him before I boarded. It seemed like he was gone for an eternity and we were the last ones to board.

"Mr. Ruiz, are you having second thoughts about married life?" I jokingly asked him as we were taxing the runway. His color still seemed a little off and there was a thin bead of sweat on his forehead. Ranger was silent until we were in the air. "No, I don't think lunch is agreeing with me." I knew it took everything in him to admit that and if it was the case, we were in for a long flight and Denver couldn't seem farther away.

"Well as your wife, I think it is only appropriate that I take care of you." I pulled the pillow tucked into my side and laid it across my lap. I lifted the armrest up between us and signaled for Ranger to lay his head down. He resisted at first and after a staring contest I won. "I can't believe I am doing this, if you tell anyone, just remember payback is a bitch." I thought I could see Ranger roll his eyes as he laid down.

"Last time I received your payback, I wasn't wearing any clothes. I think I will take my chances." I leaned down and kissed his forehead. I stroked his hair trying to comfort him and hoping he would fall asleep or at least achieve some level of the zone. Our flight would be about two and a half hours and I wanted to be as comforting as possible. I had never known Ranger to be sick before. I didn't think he would take to being cared for very well, but due to the confines of the plane he was forced into it. Ranger started to stir just before we started our descent. He sat up and leaned over to kiss me on the cheek. "Thanks Babe."

"Anytime Batman." I handed him a water, can of ginger ale and some crackers I snagged from the stewardess. I wanted to be prepared when he woke up. He slowly ate a few crackers and sipped the ginger ale. "Are you feeling any better?"

"Not really, but the nausea subsided. Once we get there the fresh air should help." I nodded and hoped that it wasn't too long of a drive to our house. I was exhausted from this day of traveling and wanted nothing more than to take a shower and crawl into bed. I couldn't imagine Ranger's thoughts were that far off at this point. We disembarked from the plane and Ranger darted for the bathroom again. I waited patiently while he took care of business.

When Ranger came out I couldn't help but tease him. "I take it you're not in the mood for dinner in the terminal," I said trying not to smile to hard. Ranger grabbed hold of me and pinned me against the wall. "No. I was thinking we should start with dessert first and then work our way back." I squirmed and he released me. I didn't want to cause a scene in the airport and I was having a hard time to process a clear thought other than having Ranger for dessert. _Yummo._

"Babe." Damn, I guess I didn't leave that in Jersey.

I followed Ranger through the airport to the parking garage. Lights flashed and a shiny black SUV beeped as we approached a slightly used, but clean 2010 Ford Explorer. It was our ride. It didn't have all the bells and whistles a RangeMan SUV would have, but we weren't supposed to have the kind of money Ranger really had. "I never thought I would see the day when Richardo Carlos Manoso would buy a vehicle that had more than 5 miles on it."

"If I had my way, this wouldn't be happening, but it is all part of Carlos Ruiz life." He flashed me his 200 watt smile as we climbed in. Ranger programmed the GPS with our address and we were off. Ranger was in his zone making the way to our home for the next month in the Red Hawk Ridge community just outside the city. I was looking out the window taking in all the different sights and landscape that couldn't compare to a trip down the Jersey turnpike when I realized we were stopping. I looked over and seen Ranger squeezing the steering wheel and the bead of sweet was across his forehead again.

"Ranger, are you okay?" The answer was obvious, but I felt the need to break the silence in the car. He responded, but didn't move, "Stay in the car." With that he bolted out of the car and off to the side of the road running a short distance to a group of trees. From my angle I could tell, I didn't want to be anywhere near him right now as he was throwing up the contents of his stomach. I guess the fresh air wasn't helping him any. After fifteen minutes, he made his way back to the car. His skin was pale again and I could see the discomfort in his eyes. Ranger was normally in control, but something in his body was winning right now.

"Babe, I don't think I can drive. We only have about thirty minutes or so to go. Can you get us there in one piece?" I knew it was taking everything in him to give up control, let alone have me behind the wheel. I didn't have the best record when it came to cars and bad luck followed me everywhere. I was still offended at his comment, but I didn't have the energy to argue with him. I felt sympathy for him and whatever contents of his stomach he left in the field and I was drained from this day of traveling. Nothing was going as planned.

With a smirk on my face, "I will do my best Batman." I could see a small grin on his face and I hopped over the center console to the driver's seat and he took the passenger. "Follow the GPS, you shouldn't have any problems." He instructed me. Ranger dozed off shortly after I pulled back onto the road. Twenty-eight minutes later we arrived. Home sweet home I thought. However, Ranger had other plans and he darted for the house before I could get the keys out of the ignition.


	8. Chapter 8

The Dance, the Deal and the Job

Note: I do not own anything, all belongs to JE. Thanks for all the reviews and enjoy!

Chapter 8

I took my time getting our bags out of the car while I took in the exterior of the house and I knew we were far from the 'Burg. The two story house was the perfect mix of modern craftsman style. The exterior had stone around the base then moved up to gray paneled siding with a crisp white trim. There were lots of windows and an attached two car garage. The lots on either side of the house were still undeveloped, so we would have a little more privacy. I walked through the front door and the small slate tile foyer opened up to a large family room with vaulted ceilings. The walls were painted a warm light brown with accents of red and chocolate brown. A fireplace was anchored in the corner with a stone surround and thick walnut mantle on top. A large cream sectional wrapped around the room bringing together the fireplace and built in entertainment area. I was thinking this would make the perfect dance floor. Wood covered the floors with an oversized area rug softening up the room.

The back of the room opened up to a large covered patio. I could see a large built in grill with stone surround and Jacuzzi. The yard had privacy fences on either side, but the back opened up to the golf course. We didn't seem to be too close to it, but I could see a few people walking in the distance and houses past them. The Jacuzzi was surrounded on two sides by its own privacy fence- blocking the view from the course and the neighbors in case we didn't have the other fence. I stood there taking in the view and thinking of the many ways we could enjoy each others company out here when I was startled by the sound of the sliding glass door opening. "See something you like, Babe?"

"Jesus Ranger, make some noise." He pulled me close and turned me around so we were facing each other. "Correction, Carlos needs to make some noise. Remember we are working here. The minute we got on board that plane, we are now Carlos and Stephanie Ruiz. It would help if you could refrain from calling me Ranger, Batman or any of the other ridiculous names you call me back home."

"As you wish Carlos." I spoke slow and soft, really letting the R roll of my tongue in exaggeration. He pulled me in and started kissing across my neck, collarbone and behind my ear to the sweet spot. "I take it someone is feeling better."

"Not quite. That was the beginning of a thank you for today," he paused and flashed me 200-watt smile. "How much of the house did you get a chance to see?"

"I walked in and straight out here. Care to give me the tour?" He pulled me by the hand and walked back through the doors. The first floor included the kitchen, family room, den and a full finished basement equipped with enough workout equipment to train for the Olympics. Ranger stopped in every room to tell me things we could do and not do if we decided. I think once he is feeling better, I am going to take him up on a few of his suggestions.

The stairs opened up to a small landing with a couple of leather chairs. There were two bedrooms and a shared bath on one side. One of the bedrooms was converted into an office. There were two sets of desks and computers. _I guess Batman didn't want to share with me._

"Correction Babe. We will both be working, so it is easier if we have our own. Just remember I don't mind sharing anything with you."

"What do you mean we will both be working? I thought I was just here to be the image of your wife. I could sit around watching reruns of Dawson's Creek on Netflix and follow Snooki on Twitter. What kind of work do you think I am going to do?"

"You never cease to disappoint Babe. I was going to wait a day or two before we got into the details, but since you asked. I will need you to run searches for me. I figure that will help occupy your time between the movie watching and tweets. I have been given some intel from my handler, but I trust you more. I will need you to run searches on some of the employees. We can go over what you find each night."

"So you trust me?" I was running my hands up and down his back. Ranger let out a low moan. He slowly backed up, pushing me back with him. When I hit the desk, he picked me up and set me on the cold wood. I gasped. "Babe, I can warm you up if you want?"

"Yes, please." I barely got out my response before his lips were pressed up against mine. He moved his hands under my shirt rubbing them across my stomach and up to my breasts. Yes, I was definitely warming up. We nibbled, played, licked and toyed with every part of each others body. Sometime later I woke up to find myself wrapped in strong warm arms and the softest sheets imaginable. I didn't remember how I got here, but I didn't want to leave anytime soon.

"Welcome home Babe." Ranger pulled me in tighter and I wiggled by back closer to his front. "Welcome home Carlos." We were content just laying there in each others arms. If this is what the next month held in store for me, I didn't want it to end and I didn't need to be paid to be here. I was lost in thought when I heard a stomach rumble, but it wasn't mine. "Babe, meet me downstairs. For my health and safety, I will be making dinner tonight."

"As you wish Carlos." I enjoyed the view while I laid in bed watching my husband walk to the closet and come out in a pair of running shorts that sat very low on his hips. I wiped my face to check for drool. I knew what I wanted for dessert and hopefully he was up for it.

"Wouldn't want it any other way." Damn ESP.

I made my way to the bathroom to take care of business and freshen up a bit before dinner. There was an oversize tub in the corner with a view of the back of the house in addition to a shower. You could see some mountains in the distance way beyond the reach of the golf course and neighborhood. There were his and her sinks and a vanity with stool for me. Every room seemed to be better than the next. I wasn't sure I was going to want to go back to my apartment when this was all said and done. I pulled my hair up in a messy pony tail after the shower and made my way to the closet.

I was in shock when I walked it. The closet was twice the size of the one in Ranger's apartment in Trenton. The shelves were full of clothes and shoes. Way more clothing than I would ever be able to wear for our time here. I didn't see the point to needing what I bought in NYC. I noticed a rather large jewelry box as well. I was not going to tempt myself by looking inside. I knew whatever was in there didn't need to be seen, at least not right now. Ranger always had a need to make sure I was taken care of. Sometimes I felt guilty thinking about the amount of money he spent on me. If we were going to make our non-relationship, partnership, whatever it is called, work there needed to be some ground rules discussed at some point. I threw on some capri yoga pants and a tank.

I loved the house, it was amazing. I didn't know how Ranger managed to arrange everything so quickly. It was going to be something else that was a mystery to me. There was something missing though. Yes, people obviously lived here, but to what extent. There were no personal touches. No pictures of ourselves, let alone family. I didn't know if we planned to have visitors, so we might have to make a few changes. My wheels started spinning and I took the digital camera from the office. I knew we needed pictures of us to make the space more lived in, but then I felt a bit of jealously. I didn't have any pictures of Ranger at home in Trenton either. I wasn't going to just get some pictures of us for the house. I was going to get some for me too. I would be seeing a different side of Ranger, well Carlos, for the next month. He was going to be a relaxed and out of his element. This was going to be fun and I was going to have the pictures to prove it. No matter how things would end, I would have the pictures to help me remember even if I have to keep them hidden under my bed with the dust bunnies.

As I made my way downstairs, I my mouth started watering as the smells from the kitchen filled the area. Ranger was making a stir-fry of chicken and veggies with brown rice. I knew what was planned for dessert, so I wasn't going to complain too bad about dinner. I quickly snapped my first picture of him stirring the mixture in the pan. "Babe, what are you doing?" He questioned me and I could tell by the look on his face he was thoroughly confused.

"Getting proof that you are just a man and not an actual superhero." I giggled. "I noticed there was nothing personal in the house. I thought that I would start taking some pictures of us and maybe if any are good I would put some up. If we happen to have visitors or something, I think it will help. Hell, we don't even have any wedding pictures around. We can take a few of us and get them framed. Unless you have a problem with it?"

He placed two bowls on the table and signaled for me to follow him to the table before answering. "No I think it is a great idea." He reached over pulled me close for a kiss and held his hand out taking a picture of our kiss. "There now we have our first picture."

We ate in silence. I tried not to let it be known that his dinner was really good, but a few moans escaped as I ate. I wasn't sure that my cooking skills were going to be up to par, but if Ranger wanted to cook every night, I wouldn't argue. We cleaned the kitchen and headed to the basement. I walked on the treadmill while Ranger did his workout. I didn't have anything else to do and why not stare at my Cuban Sex God while he was all hot and sweaty. I was patiently waiting for my dessert.

I woke up the next morning confused by my surroundings. The last thing I remembered was taking advantage of Ranger on the weight bench, but now I was in bed. There were no strong arms around me and I had no idea what time it was. I took a minute to focus my attention and heard the water running in the bathroom. I pulled Ranger's t-shirt over my head. It wasn't a RangeMan shirt, but it still smelled like him and would have to do. I tapped on the door and made my way in.

"Morning Babe." I nodded my head in acknowledgment; it was still too early for me to be fully functioning. I sat on the counter and watched him in awe. Everything he did, he made it look sexy. He had a towel wrapped around his waist, sitting very low while he shaved. I was trying not to get carried away in my thoughts because I didn't know how much time we had.

"I only have about 30 minutes before I have to leave. We need to go over a few things I didn't get a chance to mention last night after dessert." He had a grin on his face. "Come downstairs and have breakfast with me before I go." I shook my head as he headed to the closet and I took care of business.

Ranger had two bagels toasted and some fruit cut up. I poured us two cups of coffee and joined him at the table. "I have a list of all the employees printed for you on the desk. I have highlighted the ones I want you to start on first. I don't know how many people are involved, but there has to be a small group of people of them to pull off something this big. I can't go into too much detail yet. I want you to look at everyone with fresh eyes. No preconceived notions about what is happening, but pay close attention to their finances, check for offshore accounts, recent purchases, any travel. Anything that jumps out to you and your spidey senses, let me know. I should be back by six."

"I think I can handle that. I will take care of dinner tonight and I will let you know what I find. How will I get a hold of you during the day?" He stood and pulled me in for a good bye kiss. _I really wish we had more time._

"Me too Babe. Everything you need is in the office. If you find out you are missing anything, make a list. We can go shopping this weekend. I need to get going so I am not late on my first day. I don't think the boss will like that."

"Good bye Carlos." He was out the door and I headed upstairs to the office. I found a cell phone and set of keys laid out next to my purse. I looked in my purse to find a new set of trackers, pepper spray and a stun gun. I guess he didn't trust that my bad luck left me behind in Jersey. I opened my wallet to find a new driver's license for Stephanie Ruiz and several credit cards, most noticeably a black AMEX card. I ran downstairs to check out the garage since I was left a set of keys. Inside was a new blue Mustang convertible. We were really going to have a talk when he got home tonight. The clothes, the jewelry, the car and the plastic sitting in my wallet. It all seemed a bit much for what we were here to do.

I dialed speed dial one out of habit on my cell phone, not sure if it would connect to the right person.

"Yo."

"Yo yourself."

"Did you need something, Babe?" I hesitated. I didn't want to argue over the phone, but it was all too much. So I chickened out.

"Thanks."

"Only the best for you." He disconnected before I could say anything else. I guess Carlos had the same shitty phone skills that Ranger had. Some things wouldn't change between the two personas.


	9. Chapter 9

The Dance, the Deal and the Job

Note: I do not own anything, all belongs to JE. I love reading all the reviews and I still can't believe that people actually like this story. For hitting 100 reviews...here is the next chapter a little earlier than planned. Thanks!

Chapter 9

I decided not to waste any time and got to work. I had way too many hours to kill before Ranger got home from work and I didn't have anything better to do. At some point I would need to figure out what was in the kitchen for dinner that I could put together that had some sort of nutritional value. Just the thought of that was too overwhelming; I could distract myself with some searches for awhile. Back home, even searches didn't have as much appeal as they did here. I looked over the list of names and got started on the first one highlighted. There were well over 20 people selected on this short list of over 100 names in total. I prayed I could find something without having to check every single one. I started to print my second set of results when I realized I had two computers. I powered up the second and now I could do double the work at once.

It was nearing lunch time when I decided I should not only eat, but face the kitchen. Ella had done her best to prepare me, but tonight would be the moment of truth. The fridge had some fresh fruit and veggies in it and the freezer had a few nonessential items. The pantry had some basic staples in it, but other than that there was no food. I think my apartment in Trenton had more food in it than this house has when I left. I figured with the meal Ranger cooked last night we were fully stocked, but I guess we weren't. I had the essentials to at least make a peanut butter sandwich sans olives. I was going to be screwed for dinner tonight. Panic was quickly settling in as my phone rang.

"Yo." Thank god for his ESP and calling at just the right time.

"We have a serious problem here." There was a long moment of silence before Ranger spoke. "What happened? You haven't left the house. How could anything go wrong?"

"Don't patronize me Ran-Carlos. We have no food. How am I supposed to make dinner? What are we going to do?" I could hear him laughing in the background.

"Babe."

"This is serious. Can't we pay someone to take care of this?"

"There is a shopping plaza about 10 minutes from the house. Head south on route 75 and you can't miss it. Open the drawer next to the fridge, it should have everything you need." I started to protest, but all I heard was a dial tone. We were going to have a talk about that later. I looked the drawer and found a shopping list. It looked like Ella had made these up for me to help with the shopping. There were also numerous recipes printed off too. She really deserved a raise. I started the next set of searches and headed out.

The plaza was easy to find, but apparently Monday afternoons were the favorite time for the soccer mom's in this town to go shopping. I made my way up and down the aisles pushing through to find as many items as I could on Ella's list. Hopefully I would have some semblance of a meal not just for tonight, but for the rest of the week as well. I don't think I could tolerate any more couponing soccer moms and toddlers screaming for at least the next seven days, preferably longer. I helped myself to a few nonessential items that were missing from the Ella list- green olives, cupcakes, Ben & Jerry's and beer. I was prepared with my back up dinner in case my first attempt failed. Ranger could find some twigs and berries on the golf course for himself. By the time I made it to the check out, my cart was overflowing. I didn't need this much food for two people, but I was dreading having to come back. I was willing to make any deal with Ranger to get out this task again. Something else we need to discuss later. Seven trips from the garage to the kitchen and all the groceries were inside. They weren't put away, but at least they were not still in the car. I opened a beer and enjoyed it with a cupcake. I earned it.

I left out the ingredients for tonight's dinner, spaghetti, and headed outside to review my six completed searches. I decided to give them all a quick skim and read them in more detail after that. Nothing out of the ordinary jumped out from these four men and two women. They were all married or divorced with children and had all been employed at the company for at least seven years. None of them were executive level, but more middle management positions. A few of them were board members on a couple of local charities, but no one had a blinking red light flashing saying here's your man. Why couldn't it be that easy?

"Honey, I'm home." I jumped out of the chair, dropping the papers on the ground before I realized who it was. "Seriously, can't you make a little noise?"

"Babe." He chuckled and pulled me in for a hug and quick kiss on my forehead, "So did you solve your problem?"

"Yeah, but I lost track of time. I haven't start making dinner yet. I need a break from reading anyways." I made my way to the kitchen and Ranger followed me.

"I am going to change and I will be down. I think for our safety, it is best that you are not left completely unsupervised."

"Asshole," I yelled as he headed upstairs. I started a pot of water to boil and browned the meat. This wasn't a recipe Ella wrote down, but at desperate times in my past I could make it. It wasn't as good as my mom's, but I didn't poison anyone either. Ranger rejoined me in the kitchen. I handed him the folder of the searches I completed today, while speaking, "If you want to read through these and let me know what you think. I didn't see anything blatantly obvious without knowing more about what you are working on or running more searches to see if more details overlap for anyone."

I started to prepare some side salads while he read keeping an eye on the simmering sauce and noodles. So far, so good. "Did you run a check on the charities?" Ranger asked.

"No, it didn't seem relevant to yet. Why did you ask?" Of all things to question from the files, that was not my first inclination.

"There have been several government contracts and grants awarded to business and charities in this area. More than normal. I, I mean we, are trying to find out if they are legitimate or using the money in some other way. There is at least ten million dollars awarded that is unaccounted for so far. There are quite a few employees that are on boards and involved with charities at this company. More than there should be. We need to confirm the legitimacy of the work and if the money was spent correctly. There was a remodeling project of some vacant land that was supposed to turn it into some green space. The submitted all the documents and 'proof' that the project was completed, but if you actually look with your own two eyes, it is still a vacant. That project alone was three million dollars."

"Who was awarded the contract?" I asked while draining the water from the spaghetti. He slid a folder my way. "Ronald Norwood on behalf of the R.N. Foundation. Keep digging, I am sure you will find something more concrete as evidence."

We carried the food to the table and sat down to eat. I hesitated and waited for Ranger to take the first bite. "Not bad, Babe." I took a bite. It was a little bland and the noodles were overcooked, but it was edible. I nodded my head in acknowledgment and we ate in silence, myself included. When we finished, Ranger helped me clean up the kitchen.

"Can you at least tell me some of the other projects that are in question? It will save some time and maybe we can get down quicker." I asked while he washed and I dried the dishes.

He paused before responding while letting the water out of the sink. He turned to face me direct before speaking. "Why are you in some sort of hurry?"

I didn't know what to say, to long without a response and he would read too much into it. If I blurted out what was really on my mind, that I didn't want this to end because who knows what our relationship would be in Trenton, I would sound like a sad, pathetic, clingy girlfriend and that is not what I wanted to look like.

"No." Since when did I turn into the one word answers. "Um, I just hate running searches. I figure the more info you give me the less I have to do. I don't want to have to run 100 searches- one for each person on the list you gave me." Somehow I put together a coherent and logical thought.

"Fair enough. You don't have the level of security clearance to know everything, but I think we can come to a compromise. We can talk while we workout." Ugh, there always had to be a catch.

I used the treadmill while Ranger did his thing with several machines in the gym. I could walk for hours if he was the bait at the end of the string. Before I realized it we were both done, hot and sweaty. Ranger came to check out the stats on the machine. At some point I had picked up my pace and it was more of a jog than a walk. I completed 4.6 miles while he did his workout. "Proud of you Babe." He kissed me on the cheek. He started to turn off the lights and background music.

I headed for the stairs before yelling, "Last one in the shower has dinner duty tomorrow." I bolted up the stairs, stripping as I went. I was not going to be tortured tomorrow with cooking again. I could hear that he was not that far behind. I made it first, clearly thanks to the starting advantage. I reached to turn the water on as Ranger stepped in. He had a grin on his face and his eyes were dark, "I will cook as long as you take care of dessert tonight."

"No problem, hubby." I sampled every part of his body in the shower getting my fair share of dessert. Ranger was gracious enough to return the favor while going back for seconds and thirds. If only things could be this simple in real life.

The next two weeks continued much of the same. I ran searches during the day trying to pinpoint more employees and charities. No one had a bank account out there with the money sitting in it. I was having a hard time following the cash flow once the money was awarded. We would share our ideas over dinner and then workout. I would on occasion lift some weights or try a different piece of equipment. I noticed a little more definition in my arms and abs, so I wasn't going to complain. Ranger didn't push either, but I know it made him happy. It became the unspoken rule that whoever didn't cook was responsible to dessert. I really needed to improve my cooking skills, because Ranger was excellent at dishing out dessert.

Some nights we would watch a movie or some meaningless TV show. Most of the time we would just sit and enjoy each others company talking or just sitting in silence holding each other. Ranger didn't have much downtime in Trenton, he could actually relax and take some time to enjoy himself here. We learned more about each others family and growing up. I couldn't imagine the way he described himself during his teenage years. I told him about my college years and he didn't believe some of the stories that Mary Lou and I found ourselves in. I heard Ranger laugh more in the last two weeks than I had the entire time I known him. Hopefully he would stay the same way, at least to me, when we got back. Our weekends were spent shopping, doing yard work and cleaning between our tag-team research of the case.

Being a housewife wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but most days I was bored out of my mind. Between searches I would surf the internet, checking on news at home and watching the latest batch of YouTube videos. It probably helped that I would also send dirty text messages to my husband while he was busy at work. Don't judge me, I didn't have anything else to do and he wasn't complaining. I gave him something to look forward to coming home and to not be late.

I was starting to go a little stir crazy and Ranger could sense it. Friday afternoon, I received a response to my latest text message. That was odd because he rarely responded, well at least not my text message. He would respond in person when he got home and made it clear to me that he got the message.

_**Pack us a bag for the weekend. Be ready at 5.**_

Pack a bag? I needed more details. How could I plan a whole weekend for us and not know what we were doing?

_US….what r we doing? where? casual or dressy?_

_**Babe.**_

Great I needed to pack the whole closet.


	10. Chapter 10

The Dance, the Deal and the Job

Note: I do not own anything, all belongs to JE. All mistakes are mine and thanks for the reviews.

Chapter 10

I quickly packed what I thought were the essentials for the weekend. I managed to fit everything in two suitcases. They were really big, but it was still only two. It was like any girls dream come true. I had a closet full of brand new clothes with designer names I couldn't pronounce and all I had to do was pack them up. I didn't have the slightest idea what we were doing, but I was going to make sure I looked good for my husband. I was all about maintaining our image and cover to the fullest. I was not going to disappoint. When we first arrived I couldn't figure out the reasons behind some of the choices, but now I was happy to have too many dresses, tight tops and FMPs to choose from. I knew there were a few pieces that I wanted to make sure I took home with me. There were some great outfits in here not to mention some amazing lingerie.

I had about three hours to spare, so I spent them washing, exfoliating and polishing every square inch of my body. I tamed the curls and put on a light layer of makeup. I found a lacy set of bra and panties from Vicki's that were white and black. I paused l minute in the mirror to take in the image. I was really starting to see some improvements to my body with the little bit of exercise I was doing. I also probably helped that I didn't have daily access to donuts for breakfast, but I wasn't going to eliminate them from my diet all together. I contemplated just stopping getting dressed here and throwing on some FMPs and waiting for Ranger to get home. I could enjoy a weekend in bed with him. We didn't necessarily have to go anywhere. My curiosity got the best of me and I wanted to know what he had planned. I have learned to expect the unexpected, so I knew this weekend would not be a disappointment. I pulled on a pair of dark wash skinny jeans, 4 inch red FMPs and a too tight white shirt with a plunging neck line. You could see hints of the black lace of the bra underneath. I pulled on a red fitted leather jacket. I didn't want everyone to see what I was offering. My goods were for one person only.

I was walking downstairs as I heard Ranger come in. "Babe, let me change and we will be ready…" His voice cut off as he reached the base of the steps. "Dios, qué podría hacer a usted. Por qué esperé tan de largo? Usted es asombroso." He stood there not moving for a few more seconds and I closed the space between us taking the last few necessary steps.

"See something you like Batman?" I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him to my lips. I placed three delicate but increasing intensity kisses in his lips before he finally reciprocated and kissed me back. He wrapped his arms around my waist, running them up my back and sending chills down my spine. If this is how my weekend was going to start, I couldn't wait to see what he had planned and how he would like my other outfits.

"Yes." He pulled back and stared directly into my eyes. There was something different about the way he looked at me, I couldn't tell exactly what it was. It was a good feeling, but I was seeing something else mixed in and I didn't know what it was or how to describe it. "And if I don't walk up the stairs right now, we may never leave and miss our flight."

"As you wish Batman."

We parted ways and he headed up stairs. On cue twenty minutes later, Ranger was carrying our bags down the stairs. He was wearing a pair of stone washed jeans and crisp black button up shirt. He left it untucked and the top button open. His hair was still damp and he had his diamond studs in his ear. Yes, this was going to be a very good weekend. We loaded up the car and headed out. I still had no idea where we were going, but I knew we had to fly to get there thanks to his slip up earlier.

We made our way in silence to the airport. Ranger was in his zone and I was busy letting my mind wander. I was thinking about how great the last few weeks had been. We spent every night together and woke up in each others arms. I was truly getting to see Ranger for the person he was, Carlos and not just the image he needed to be for business. I knew things wouldn't be the same when we got back to Trenton, but I didn't want to lose all of this. With his line of work, he would never have the standard 9-5 hours that he does now so our nightly dinners and lounging on the couch wouldn't continue. At least not every night, but hopefully once or twice maybe just every Thursday from 8-9. He could pencil me in on this schedule at least once a week. Right?

As much as I loved Ella's cooking, I loved it even more when he cooked for me. Something about the thoughtfulness and effort he spent doing it, made it even better. Granted he never made me a mouth watering dessert like Ella did, but his attention and display of affection for me made up for it. It seemed unnatural to ever see a domesticated side for either of us, but it was working. I didn't want to disrupt the flow of our non-title bearing relationship. When did I get so clingy? Here I was afraid of settling down and making commitments with Joe just a few months back and now I was dreading what would happened when this job with Ranger ended. When did the roles reverse? I had no way of knowing if he felt the same way or if he just felt this right now because we were stuck with each other. Only time would tell me where we stood with each other. I didn't want to bring it up and since I am the queen of denial, we would just wait and see what would happen. I was going to take what I could get while it was available and worry about the rest later.

"Deep thoughts Babe?" I flinched at his words. I was so caught up with my thoughts, I didn't realize we already made it to the airport. "No, I was just trying to figure out where you are taking me."

"Somewhere Mr. Manoso cannot." He chuckled as he opened the door to get out. Gee that really helps. Ranger has been more places and has access to security clearances that even the President cannot get. He really narrowed down the options for me. He led us through the airport and checked our bags. I guess we were going to have to risk the baggage check since I was not warned on the flying portion of our trip ahead of time. We made our way through the terminal and to our gate. We both agreed to wait and eat at our destination and not be tempted by the food here this time around.

"Vegas!" I shrieked. "You're taking me to Vegas!" I stopped walking and was shocked and as excited as a little girl on Christmas morning.

Ranger just grinned, flashing me his full 200 watt smile. "I told you I was taking you somewhere I normally could not. Mr. Manoso cannot travel here, but Mr. Ruiz doesn't have any outstanding issues with law enforcement," he whispered in my ear while hugging me and steering us towards the chairs.

"I can't believe you."

"Only the best for you, Babe." He pulled my hand up that he was holding and kissed my knuckles. We sat there while we waited for the plane to board in comfortable silence. I think I was still in shock at our destination and Ranger sat there mindlessly rubbing my hand. I caught him a few time playing with the ring on my finger. I didn't say anything and who knows what he was thinking or even if he noticed he was doing it. We boarded our flight and arrived in Vegas two hours later smoothly with no hiccups. We retrieved our bags and made our way to the taxis. We were on our way to our destination, the Bellagio.

Ranger checked us in and we made our way up to the 30th floor to our Cypress Suite. I don't know how he did it, but I have never seen a more amazing view or stayed in such a luxurious hotel. Ranger opened the door for me and let me take it all in. The foyer opened up the living room with the most comfortable couch I have ever seen. It was covered in pillows. There was a large dividing wall built in the center of the room that had the tv and other entertainment equipment stowed away. I walked around the wall and gasped in awe. There was a large king size bed positioned to face out to the windows. The view of the Vegas strip glowing and the fountains of the hotel down below of our curved windows took my breath away. I didn't know what I did to deserve this, but I knew I was going to have one of the best weekends of my life.

I felt warm hands wrap around my stomach and I gasped again in shock. "See something you like, Babe?" Ranger asked as he nibbled kisses down the back of my neck, sweeping my hair off my shoulder to the side.

"It's amazing. I don't know if I am going to want to leave this room." I turned in his arms facing him.

"That can be arranged if that is what you want. I have a few other things planned, but this trip is for you. Whatever you want is yours."

"Ranger, really this is all too much. You don't have to do this." He held his hand up before I could continue. "I know I don't have to, but I want to. You work hard whether here or back home. You deserve a break now and then. I can't remember the last time I actually took some time off either. So it is not all for you, but I get to spoil you. It is what a man should do, spoil and worship his woman. An opportunity presented itself and I am taking advantage. Please Steph, enjoy this if not for your benefit, but mine as well."

Damn him, he had to say please and he had to use my name. He knows I can't say no then. "Fine, but you have to lay off all the clothes and jewelry. It's too much. I think more stuff has appeared in my closet since we got to Colorado."

"Deal. Now what would you like to do?" He questioned me like the last ten minutes of conversation between us never happened. However, my stomach had other plans than my desire to see how nice the sheets were here compared to the ones back in Trenton.

"Um, I think dinner is a good start," I giggled.

"Perfect. I know just the place."

We made our way to the elevator and to the Prime Steakhouse restaurant inside the hotel. Once we were seated in a secluded booth in the back of the restaurant, I slid off my jacket revealing for the first time my complete outfit. He let out a sigh, "Dios, usted es matanza yo. Qué hice para merecer esto?" I had no idea what he said, but from the look in his eyes, I knew he would rather be upstairs right now.

"I never said I wanted to leave the room to eat. We could of ordered room service and been checking out the view from the bed right now. It is your fault we are down here. It is what you wanted." I giggled as I let the last part out.

"Playing with fire Babe. We are here now, so I will enjoy the view now and later."

We enjoyed a bottle of wine with dinner and Ranger even shared the chocolate mousse dessert with me. Apparently the temple was on vacation in Vegas. I was feeling pretty relaxed from the wine as we made our way across the lobby of the hotel. We were headed for the elevators when I noticed the the entrance to The Bank, a nightclub across the way. I was ready to check out our bed, but I also wanted to dance. I was loosened up and feeling good. Given my previous experience seeing Ranger's dance moves, I was curious what kind of moves a laid back Carlos had.

"I know what I want to do." Ranger stopped and looked at me with an eyebrow raised. "Come, follow me. I promise it won't hurt."

We made our way inside and found a quite table on the side of the dance floor. We both ordered another drink. The temple was definitely not with us tonight. I don't know if I had ever seen him drink this much in one night. I was giving my drink a few minutes to settle and kick in to relax my nerves. I don't know what I was worried about. Then again, I don't think I have really danced with another man since high school dances or weddings. Who was I kidding, this wasn't any man. This was Ricardo Carlos Manoso, the Cuban Sex God. I didn't know what I was getting into, but I had a feeling I would not be disappointed.

"Babe, I am pretty sure we didn't come here to sit on the sidelines." He startled me from my thoughts.

"Nope we didn't. Are you going to show me your moves Batman?" I asked while he pulled up from my seat and onto the dance floor.

We started out slow getting used the feel of each other's bodies. Ranger held me close. I don't think a piece of paper would be able to drop between us. He quickly took the lead guiding our bodies in perfect motion. His hands would move up and down my body caressing and holding all at the right times. If I could have thought of a perfect moment, this would be it. It was as if no one existed around us. We flowed from one song to the next no matter what the beat was. Our legs were intertwined and we were grinding against each other. At one point, Ranger tucked his right hand into the back of my pants and I thought I was going to lose it right there. I don't know how long we danced for, but I didn't want it to end. I think Ranger finally reached his limit on self control and pulled me out of the club to the elevators. We rode up the elevator standing on opposite sides. I know I needed some space to calm down because if I was any closer, I might have lost a few pieces of clothing on the way up.

A/N: I have never been to Las Vegas. I used the internet to help with some descriptions and places and took liberty elsewhere. Don't hold it to be 100% accurate or hate me for it.

Translations: Hopefully the Spanish is close to what I want it to say, blame Bable Fish if it is not. It's been too long since Spanish class to remember it on my own.

Dios, qué podría hacer a usted. Por qué esperé tan de largo? Usted es asombroso. =God, what I could do to you. Why did I wait so long? You are amazing.

Dios, usted es matanza yo. ¿Qué hice para merecer esto?= God, you're killing me. What did I do to deserve this?


	11. Chapter 11

The Dance, the Deal and the Job

Note: I do not own anything, all belongs to JE. Please review, I love finding my email full of them. Thanks for reading and enjoy.

Chapter 11

We made our way down the hallway to our room. My emotions and hormones were on such an overload, I didn't know if I was going to make it inside without passing out. I just kept pushing one foot in front of the other. Ranger opened the door and signaled me to head inside first. I hesitated. He raised one eye brow, but didn't question me. He reached for my hand and walked us both inside. He turned me to face him, slowly backing me up to the wall. I couldn't stop the words before they came out of my mouth.

"Wait," I blurted a little louder and harsher than I meant to. Leave it to me to screw up the perfect moment. I was breathing heavy and my body was on fire. I didn't know if the AC was broken or I was hitting early menopause and having a hot flash. I wanted nothing more than to have him seduce me and begging for more, but I just put on the brakes. "Give me a minute. I will be right back."

Ranger placed a kiss on my forehead and let me go. "If you are gone to long, I will send in a search party," he said with a hint of playfulness to his voice.

I made my way to the bathroom and locked the door as I closed it. Clearly something was wrong with my brain tonight. I was putting space between us. Granted, he could get through the lock, but why did I do that? I paced back and forth across the floor while fanning myself. The temperature in the room seemed like it kept climbing and wasn't going down anytime soon. My mind was racing with thoughts and I couldn't think clearly. Someone must have slipped something into my drink when I wasn't looking.

Before I realized what I was doing, I stripped myself of my clothes and laid in the Jacuzzi tub. The cool walls of the porcelain tub seemed to help center and focus me. Then it hit me like a brick wall. I knew what the problem was. I was in love. All of my thoughts from earlier today and about us the last few weeks were overwhelming me know. But was I in love with a version of Ranger I could never really have. My brain was not letting me live in denial land anymore. I didn't know what was going to happen once we left Colorado and it wasn't letting me live in the moment anymore. I closed my eyes and started taking a few deep breathes. I was going to compose myself and rejoin Ranger or Carlos or whoever he was in the other room who was sweeping me off my feet. I would force my brain not to send these mixed signals at least not until I had a chance to check out the view from the bed.

****Ranger's POV****

I don't think I have ever been more confused than I have in my entire life then when Steph walked away from me. I was never one to understand the female brain, but what did I do to trigger that reaction out of her? She was never one to turn me down, even when she was with Morelli. She never turned down my stolen kisses, my advances or liberties while wiring her up for a distraction or whatever seemed like a good excuse at the time. I was present and accounted for at dinner and the club. We were both flirting back and forth, not any less than usual. If anything I thought we were more in tune with each other than we have been since the party at the house before we left. I thought I knew where the night was headed and what she wanted to do, but apparently our signals got crossed and I missed the memo. I pulled a beer from the mini-bar in our room and took a seat on the foot of the bed. Staring out the Vegas strip light up bright like a Christmas tree, I had only my thoughts to occupy me while I waited for Steph to return.

I thought back over the last few weeks. I know I had changed and it was not a bad thing. I was able to relax for the first time in years. I didn't have to meet the daily demands that are necessary to keep RangeMan running, let alone successful and profitable. Granted I was on assignment right now, but this was a relatively low key op for me to take on. I was resistant even to do it to begin with. I didn't think the skills required to figure this out were that demanding that they needed me. General Woods called me to ask as a favor to him on behalf of someone else. I didn't know the specifics and didn't find it necessary to. Woods had helped me over the years and doing this for him made me one step closer to the end of my government contracts. RangeMan or I could still be asked or brought on for special ops and projects from time to time, but we would no longer be under contract to accept the offers. If we wanted to turn it down, we could. I would miss the money, but we were all getting a little older now. It was time to take a step back and focus on my own business and personal life.

At first I agreed to do the assignment as a favor, but that night in Steph's apartment my thoughts about it changed. I may have heard more of their conversations, Steph's words to be more specific, then I let on and I rethought the op immediately. I was planning on having Silivo help from Miami getting me the searches and dirt I needed or even using the rookie the General would assign. Hearing Steph talk to Lula and I knew I had to bring her along. There was an opening and I took it. I could make sure she was safe and taken care of, earn some money-more than she could picking up skips- and get her out of Trenton away for the gossip and pressure. If we were going to have a shot at being together in any capacity I saw this as my chance to prove to her and myself it was possible.

I got the quick update of her and Morelli's current status as I caught up with Tank that day at RangeMan. He didn't go into details, hell I didn't think she was still working more at RangeMan, even after I left. It was the unspoken rule that my men take care of her. At first they didn't know what to think when I would answer her calls and help her out. But it didn't take them long to all develop a soft spot for her in their heart. She was one in a million. I just wish I could have realized sooner what I wanted and not wasted so much time. I don't know why I said the things I did to her over the years. It is a miracle that she is giving me the opportunity to explore a relationship that we are not calling a relationship with her.

I think that I have smiled and laughed more in the last few weeks than I have in years. I don't know what it is about her, but her laughter is contagious. I never know what she is going to say, she has no filter on her thoughts coming out of her mouth. Sometimes I just sit and wait for the next slip up because of the feelings I get from watching her smile or blush. Hold on, when did I become such a softie and talk about feelings and emotions? I know there is more between us, I can feel it. Every time we are in the same room together there is a magnetic pull that brings us together. Our conversations never get boring, I find myself looking for more questions to ask her and bounce ideas of her. I have opened up more to her than I ever thought I would or to any woman for that matter. I trust her with my life and secrets, not many people have been given that in my life. I have told her I loved her before. I don't think she ever took me seriously. I realized tonight that I really do- with no qualifiers or attachments. If there is a true soul mate for everyone, she is mine. I am horrible at expressing myself and emotions, but I need to find a way to prove to her and show her. She needs to know that I am in. I know I am bound to screw something up based on my history, but I want to be there for her.

I really don't want to screw this up when we get back to Trenton, but I know it will be different. RangeMan demands a lot of my time. I know she won't ask or consider asking me to change my routine to make sure we still get our time together. We will have to deal with cell phone interruptions and late night calls, but at least I won't be disappearing into the wind for months on end. After our time in Colorado, I know I want her in my life no matter what. Things can change and it will take time. This was new for me and I wanted to approach it slowly to make sure I was making the right decisions. I wasn't one hundred percent sure where she stood and felt about all this. I didn't want to scare her away, so I would just keep these thoughts to myself for now. No need to rock the boat at this point. All of this self reflection made me thirsty and my beer was empty. I got up to get another one. I didn't realize at first how much time had passed, but I think it was time to send in the search party I threatened her with.

****Steph's POV****

I was having the craziest dream I have had in months. I was chasing down a skip with Lula through an alley. He was throwing garbage cans at us left and right. We were jumping to dodge them when a car pulled up and three men got out. They had their guns drawn and we were ordered to stand still. A tall lanky man walked up to me and grabbed me by the shoulders, squeezing me tight. I resisted his advances and started wiggling and swinging my arms to get loose. I managed to get my right arm loose and connected right to his face. My training the last few months on slow days at RangeMan was paying off.

"Dios Babe, it's just me. What the hell are you doing?"

I quickly snapped out of it, but I was still not sure what just happened. I was sitting naked in a bathtub and Ranger was leaning over the bathroom sink pressing a towel up against his nose.

"Wait, what is going on? Why am I naked and what happened to you?" I questioned him as he looked me over from head to toe.

"We came back to the room, you needed a minute and I came into see what was taking so long. I found you sleeping naked in the tub and I tried to wake up you. My guess is you were dreaming, I startled you and your fist connected to my nose with one hell of a right hook. It doesn't seem to be broken, just bleeding. By the way, have you been practicing because your technique was spot on?" He chuckled as his finished the last part and flashed me his 200 watt grin.

"I was hot."

"What?" Ranger questioned me as I walked over to the door to grab a robe.

"I was hot, I couldn't breathe or think straight. The tub was cool. I must have been too relaxed and dozed off. Sorry about the nose." I sat next to him on the edge of the tub. "Oh, you can thank Tank for the training, it was his idea."

"You never disappoint Babe." He leaned over and placed a kiss on my cheek. "Go get in bed, I will be out in a few minutes."

I pulled down the blankets and crawled into bed. My eyes were closed and I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. The only thing that could make this bed better than the one in Trenton was Ranger. He was nursing a bloody nose in the bathroom thanks to me. How romantic. At some point I felt the bed dip down and he joined me. He pulled me close to his body, my back to his front. We both drifted off to sleep after a long day of traveling and a long night of missed temptations. Hopefully we could make up for lost time in the morning.

A/N: I have never been to Las Vegas. I used the internet to help with some descriptions and places and took liberty elsewhere. Don't hold it to be 100% accurate or hate me for it.


	12. Chapter 12

The Dance, the Deal and the Job

Note: I do not own anything, all belongs to JE. Thanks for all the reviews...keep them coming.

Chapter 12

I woke up feeling cold and alone. I was wrapped up in the bed sheets and tucked into the pillows, but my heat source was gone. It was too dark in the room to see anything. I sat up quickly to turn on the lights on the bedside table and I felt a rush of pain to my head. I took a minute to focus and let my throbbing head relax. I slowly looked around the room and realized why it was dark. The shades were pulled completely closed across the windows. There was no doubt in my mind the sun over Vegas has been up for a least a few hours before me.

I looked down and realized I was wearing Ranger's t-shirt and my underwear from yesterday. It was the first time in weeks I had woken up with any clothes on. I was confused and the pounding in my head was not helping. Then all the memories and events of last night flooded my brain and I knew why I was clothed. With mother nature screaming at me, I made my way to the bathroom to take care of business and enjoy a hot shower. I didn't want to think about where Ranger was or if he left me after my behavior last night. A shower seemed like the perfect excuse to deny anything was wrong. After I was relaxed and pruney, the hot water never ran out like at my apartment, I got dressed in my sweats and another one of Ranger's t-shirts. I wasn't in the mood to get dressed up and I didn't want to put off the wrong image if he wasn't interested anymore. I just wanted to get some food and hopefully room service wouldn't take too long. I headed to the living area in search of the phone and the menu.

"Oh," I said startled to find Ranger sitting on the couch and a cart of food waiting by the table. "You're here."

"Where did you think I went, Babe?" He raised an eyebrow at me and I know I blushed. I could feel the temperature in the room rising again.

"I don't know….you weren't here when I woke up. I thought maybe you left. Is that food I smell?" _Smooth move Stephanie. _I hoped he would drop the inquisition. I wasn't up to play 20 questions this morning.

"Yeah, I figured you would be hungry. If you want something else, you can order it. I got a variety, figured you needed it after…" he paused briefly "after all the drinking you did last night."

"Thanks," I mumbled as I made my way to the small table. Ranger uncovered the dishes and I filled my plate. There were eggs, bacon, potatoes, pancakes, cinnamon rolls and some Danishes. There was also a dish of oatmeal and fresh fruit. That was definitely not here for me.

"They didn't have any Boston Cremes. We should be able to find some on the strip later, if you want." I just nodded my head, not committing to any definitive answer either way. He was being so thoughtful this morning. Maybe the events in my head and me turning him down didn't really happen. Maybe I just passed out from the alcohol I had drank.

We ate in silence for a few minutes before I couldn't take it anymore. "What happened last night?"

He stopped mid-bite and just looked confused. "Don't you remember? Sorry we got a little carried away drinking at dinner and at the club. But the good news is my nose is definitely not broken and Tank owes me some mat time when we get back."

"Oh my God, it is true. I remembered, I just thought that it didn't really happen. My mind was replaying the events and you weren't here when I woke up. I didn't know what to think happened. I am really sorry. That was probably the alcohol's fault. Don't punish Tank. We had a deal while you were gone."

"A deal? What kind of deal could you two have had that ends with you learning to throw a punch not like a girl?" We were finished eating at this point and he was putting all the dirty dishes back on the cart. He pushed it to the hallway and came back.

"Jerk! You are probably going to hate the deal. You don't need to know the specifics. You are probably going to take everyone to the mats including Ella when you get back."

He pulled me up into an embrace and kissed my forehead. He guided us towards the couch and we snuggled into together. "Tell me about it before we head out for the day. An opportunity has presented itself this morning and I think you and I are going to be making another deal too." I started to protest, but he cut me off. "You tell me yours and I will tell you mine."

"Fine. You know I was working at RangeMan more, even after you were gone. I wasn't getting my daily sugar intake since I wasn't spending as much time with Lula and our doughnut runs. Weird things happen to my body when I don't get enough sugar, especially being single and you were gone. I was agitated." He didn't make any comments, but I could tell he was confused. I continued, "About three weeks after you left, the guys started noticing me acting different. I was fresh out of my secret stash of Tastycakes and candy in my desk. Tank saw me rummaging through the drawers and then cabinets in the break room like a mad woman looking for something. So we made a deal."

"Babe."

"What I am not telling you the rest?" I turned to stare him down, hoping he would give up. I finally gave up and rolled my eyes. "You're not fair. How can I stare down a blank face and have any chance of winning? The deal was if I spent time doing some training. You know, some exercise, self defense moves, B&E skills and time on the gun range. I would get something sugary and sweet every day. Ella went a little over board and started making enough for everyone. I think she took some liberties with the situation since you were gone. Don't be made at her she wasn't supposed to. She was told just to have a little something for me whenever I was going to be in the office. Since I didn't have much of a social life outside of Lula and Connie, I spent 4-5 nights a week at RangeMan. The guys were fighting with each other to get the chance to spend some time training me. A few times Lula even stopped by. They said it was good to learn how to take a woman down and not just a man. So I got my sugar fix, calmed my hormones and picked up a few extra skills."

"You never disappoint Babe. Don't worry Tank is going to get a bonus for coming up with that. I only wish I would have thought of that sooner as incentive for you. You guys can keep your deal, even now that I am back. Ella will have to follow the rules a little closer though. I don't want my men thinking I am big softie now that we are..." He trailed off half smiling at that last comment he made about us being together, but not specifically saying it. Maybe what I was thinking and feeling the night before about us being different when we got back was not worrying him. Or maybe he just didn't plan that far ahead yet.

"So what is the deal you want to propose know?" I turned to face him, trying to give my best 'Burg glare that he was giving me while I told him about Tank's deal.

"I bumped into a few old friends when I was downstairs earlier at the gym, while you were up here playing the role of Sleeping Beauty perfectly." I leaned over and punched his shoulder.

"Watch out Tyson, I might need to start wearing protection around you." He laughed before continuing again, "We made plans to meet at the poker tables and then they need our help later in the evening. We need to pretend we don't know them. It is going to be hard for you. We still need to protect our cover, but I don't want to miss the opportunity to catch up with them while we are both in town. We will meet at the poker tables and just hang out like two couples who just met. Can you do that?"

"Sure, but do I know who these mysterious people are?" He nodded his head slowly, but his blank face wasn't giving away any more clues. "Fine. You don't have to tell me who they are now, but you do have to make up for lost time. I want you in the bed before I my brain gets clogged with too much alcohol and distracting thoughts like last night."

He pulled me in close, placing delicate kisses from my collar bone to my ear. When he reached my ear, he whispered "If those are your terms, I will be more than happy to oblige."

I wrapped my legs around his waist as he picked up and carried me around to the bed. I was kissing his neck and running my hands through his hair. Before I knew it he tossed me on the bed and rid himself of his shirt. His shorts followed not long after and he was standing there in all his glory.

"See something you like Babe?" He said as he pulled me to the edge of the bed and stripped me of my sweats and shirt. Good thing I didn't put any underwear on, they would be ruined for sure. He paid attention to every spot on my body and had me rolling over the edge so many times I lost count. We finally came together and collapsed in a heap on the bed. He pulled the sheets up over us and we drifted off to sleep. I heard him mumbling something in Spanish, but I was not quite sure what it was. The last part was "Te amo." I was going to need to start learning Spanish, so I would know what he was saying all the time.

I woke up this time with Ranger's arms wrapped around me and his cell phone was ringing. I started to pull away and he just pulled me closer and reached for it on the night stand.

"Yo." He blurted out in a husky voice before he had a chance to clear his throat. I knew the person on the other end of the line was giving him a hard time.

"When I sleep is none of your business. We'll be down around 5." He was getting agitated now. "Around 5, do I need to remind you who I am?" He snapped his phone closed and tossed it on the floor. I wiggled in his arms to turn and face him.

"How long do we have till we need to be ready?" I said as I yawned into his chest.

"A couple of hours. I figured we could test out the Jacuzzi before we got cleaned up to head out."

"You always have a plan, don't you." I teased as stepping out of the bed.

"You have no idea Babe."

We proceeded to enjoy the tub and shower together, all for the sake of conserving water and energy. Ranger left me to get dressed and get ready in the bathroom. I pulled out a halter top sapphire blue dress that fell a few inches above the knee. Enough to be sexy, but not too slutty. I was a married woman after all. I had a matching set of white lace bra and thong to wear underneath. After putting the dress on, there was enough support I went without the bra. I slipped on a pair of strappy silver heels and some diamond earrings I found in the jewelry box in Colorado. My makeup was simple, just some shimmering eye shadow and tinted lip gloss. I left my hair down and my curls seemed to cooperate for the occasion. Given what I looked like when I started the morning, I felt like a whole new woman. It probably helped that Ranger reminded me at least half a dozen times today in bed and the shower. I didn't have much to complain about.

I heard a knock on the door and Ranger stepped in. I don't think there will ever come a day, when the sight of him in a suit would not send my pulse racing. He was wearing charcoal gray pants and jacket with a crisp white shirt underneath. He was the cover of GQ in the flesh.

"Babe, you look amazing." He said placing a kiss on my neck.

"You don't look too bad yourself, Batman."

"We should get going. We don't want to keep our guests waiting much longer."

We made our way downstairs and across the casino lobby. We were approaching one of the poker tables from behind. I could see a large bald-headed black man sitting next to a woman wearing a glittery black dress with fire engine red hair. I knew right away who our guest were.

"How did you pull this off?"

"Babe, I told you I ran into them when I was downstairs this morning. I was in as much shock as you are. Remember, we don't know them. They are going to play along too. I have one more deal before we sit down. Whatever you or I win tonight, we are splitting. No matter how little or how big. I don't know about you, but I am feeling pretty lucky."

"Deal. Last time I was in AC, I won $4,000. I don't mind sharing with you." He placed a kiss on my lips and our deal was sealed.

He guided me to the table with his hand on my lower back. "Excuse me, you don't mind if my wife and I join your table?" Ranger politely asked Tank and another couple that was sitting at the other side.

"No, the more the merrier." Tank replied with a handshake to Ranger and a wink in my direction. "My name is Pierre and this is Lula." He said while nodding to me to sit down.

"Carlos Ruiz and this is my lovely wife Stephanie. Pleasure to meet you both. Good luck tonight." Lula and I just looked at each other and rolled our eyes. It was great to see them together, but I had a strange feeling with the smile Lula was giving me that there was more to the story than I knew.

We settled in and ordered a few drinks. We played a few rounds of poker winning and losing some pots for no more than a couple of hundred dollars. We made small talk back and forth as if we were strangers with Tank and Lula. After about an hour and being in the openness of the casino floor, I was hoping we could go somewhere more private and catch up with each other. I didn't realize how much I missed them until seeing them tonight. As if Ranger was reading my mind, he asked them to join us for dinner.

A/N: I have never been to Las Vegas. I used the internet to help with some descriptions and places and took liberty elsewhere. Don't hold it to be 100% accurate or hate me for it.


	13. Chapter 13

The Dance, the Deal and the Job

Note: I do not own anything, all belongs to JE. This is my first fanfic, so please be kind. All mistakes are my own...read and review...please and thank you!

Chapter 13

We headed out to NOVE Italiano at the Palms. We were seated in a private room that could fit at least fifteen people, but it was just the four of us. Tank and Ranger signaled for us to be quiet after the waiter took our drink orders. Tank pulled a small device out of his pocket, pushed some buttons and put it on the table. Tank nodded and said "All clear boss."

Lula and I were looking back and forth at each other and to the men next to us thoroughly confused at what happened. "Do you want to explain what that was about?" I questioned the guys. They should know by now that I have an uncontrollable urge to know everything.

"Scrambler. In case there is anyone listening or watching. You don't have to worry about maintaining the cover while we are here." Ranger answered just in time as the waiter entered with our drinks. I took a drink of my sangria and Ranger leaned over to whisper in my ear, "Pace yourself Babe. I want you conscious tonight."

"You and me both." I blurted out and found two pairs of eyes staring at me across the table and one hot strong hand stroking my thigh. I pulled my leg away at an attempt to focus my thoughts and Ranger pulled his hand up and placed it in my hand resting on the table. He squeezed it gently and I took it as a sign of truce for now and promises for what was going to come later. However, Tank hadn't missed a beat and the inquisition started. "Care to explain with a few more details Bomber?"

"Yeah white girl, what have you been doing? I don't think I need to ask who 'cause that answer seems pretty obvious. If I wasn't here and happy with my own man then I would be trying to find me one of them Chippendale's dancer. You're giving off some vibes over there and I think the love boat has set sail. I can't get anything out Tankie here and I thought I had some real good persuasion techniques."

Leave it to Lula to call me out and I had nowhere to run right now. I could feel all eyes on me now, including Ranger's. He was just as patient waiting for my answer as Lula and Tank were. "Um…..I'm happy." Great job Stephanie. I'm happy. I sounded pathetic and when did I become the one with the short, weak answers to questions. Ranger was rubbing off on me. Thankfully I was saved from further questioning and stares because the waiter arrived to take our order. By the sounds of the amount of food the guys ordered for us, we were going to have more any enough. My second thought was I didn't want t know who much this dinner was going to cost.

"One thing is for sure, she can throw one hell of a punch. I learned firsthand myself last night." Ranger chuckled and did some manly fist bump handshake with Tank.

"So you learned about our deal? Just wait till she gets back to Trenton, she has a few more tricks up her sleeves. The guys are dying for her to get back. They can't wait to show her some more moves." Tank winked at me from across the table.

Lula and I talked about everyone from back home and what the latest gossip was. I guess after I was gone for the first week the rumor milled died down about where I was and what I was doing. Everyone knew that Ranger was still 'in the wind', so no one suspected that we were together. The guys talked about RangeMan and Tank assured Ranger everything was under control. Our food arrived and I thought I must have died and gone to heaven. I have never had such amazing Italian food before. There wasn't a place in Jersey that I knew about that could compete. Ranger's hand never left my thigh after the first bite. As we wrapped up dessert and another round of drinks, I finally remembered the first question I had when I realized we were meeting Lula and Tank.

"So what are you guys doing in Vegas? Ranger said he didn't know either. What gives?" Lula and Tank looked at each other first and then he nodded his head to signal her to start talking.

"Well with you two being gone and Tankie having to be the boss man. He didn't have as much free time to get away and spend with me. So to make things even easier I started hanging out in his apartment and stuff more and more. It was easier because he was close by instead of across town at my place. Girl, do you know how many times his phone can ring in the middle of the night? I can't wait for you two to get back."

"Lula focus, what does that have to do with Vegas?" I forgot how sidetracked Lula could get with her stories sometimes. She was always entertaining, but if she got sidetracked now I may never get my answer.

"Right, well we were watching a movie the other night and Tank asked me to move in with him….all the time as in permanently. We have to stay at RangeMan until you guys get back, but then we are going to find someplace close by with a big closet to hold all my shoes." Tank leaned over and kissed her interrupting her again. I still wasn't convinced how that led to a trip to Vegas, but I wasn't going to argue. I was happy they were back together. Apparently my love boat wasn't the only one to set sail, only Tank and Lula were on the same boat. I still couldn't and wouldn't be confirming what boat Ranger had a ticket for. Denial has always been my best friend.

"Bombshell, that isn't the whole story. I did ask Lula to move in with me. I told her I wanted to take her away for the weekend to celebrate. Lester and Bobby agreed to watch over things for a few days, so we could actually leave and not just take a road trip. Lula doesn't know what the rest of the evening's plans are and I was hoping to keep this a secret a little while longer, but since we ran in to you guys I think it is only fitting….." he trailed off while he rose from his seat and knealt down besides Lula. "Lula, Baby, will you marry me?"

Lula let out a blood curdling scream that I was sure broke a few window panes. "Yes, yes, yes," she said while Tank picked her up and spun around the room. I was in shock. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. They just got back together and they were getting married. I couldn't be more happy for two of my best friends, but my own shitty marriage and divorced flashed through my mind. I had a fear in the back of my mind about the heartache that ensued over it and it would leave me scarred for life about any marriage, whether it was my own for not.

I was distracted deep in my own thoughts that I missed have the conversation around me. "What do you say Babe? Are we going to the chapel?"

"What?" I said looking puzzled at the three people around me.

"Ugh white girl, when are you going to start paying attention? I said let's go now and you guys can be our witnesses, well Mr. & Mrs. Ruiz can. But you will be there either way. I wouldn't want to get married without my best friend." Lula finished and there were tears in both of our eyes. We hugged and I told her I wouldn't want to miss it either. I would force my own thoughts aside and be happy in the moment for them.

We made our way to the Little House of Love where Tank and Lula exchanged their vows and rings. It was a sweet and simple ceremony. I snapped a few pictures with my camera and soon we were on our way back to the hotel. The night was still early by Vegas standards so we made our way back to the poker tables. Lula and I sat back and let the men do their thing. I didn't think my skills were up to the standards of the high roller table the guys were playing at. Lula was on cloud nine in lover's land and couldn't focus on anything other than telling everyone that Tank was her husband. Tank and Lula eventually left the table and retreated to their room to consummate their marriage.

Ranger seemed to be on a winning streak and kept playing as I sat next to him to watch. I assumed he would be a good poker player with his blank stare and ability to read people. But it was insane to watch him play. The pile of chips in front of him kept growing steadily over the next few hours. I thought Tank walked away with a decent amount, but Ranger's was at least double. I was starting to get sleepy and I couldn't hold my yawns anymore.

"Ready to go Babe?"

"No, you can stay here. I will go back up to the room. You can keep playing, you're on a roll. Don't quit because of me."

"That is nice of you to offer Babe, but I have had enough. Let's cash out and go celebrate. You were very lucky for me tonight."

We made our way to the cashier and Ranger had his winnings wired somewhere. I wasn't quite sure where the money went or how much was even there, but I was ready to wrap the night up in bed and didn't care to ask questions for the first time. I still couldn't believe that I got to see Tank and Lula let alone they are now married.

"Deep thoughts Babe?" Ranger asked me as he opened the room and guided me inside. I grabbed a pop from the mini bar. I was going to need the caffeine boost and energy if I knew what Ranger had planned before we went to bed. I slid up on to the couch and Ranger picked my feet up and placed them on his lap. He unhooked my shoes and started rubbing my feet.

"A girl could get used to this." I said as I moaned with delight. He hands were like magic no matter what they were doing.

"Steph, you still didn't answer my question?" He stopped rubbing my feet and looked me directly in the eyes.

"What question was that?" I couldn't remember him asking me anything, but then I was distracted thinking about Tank and Lula.

"You seemed to be distracted tonight, especially after Tank popped the question. Something bothering you?" Ranger never misses a beat. I wish one day I could pull a fast one on him and read his blank stares.

"No….I….I was just thinking." Hopefully he would drop the conversation. I needed to come up with something to distract him before he started in again.

"About what?" Nope, he definitely wasn't going to let me avoid this or give me time to distract him. I shrugged my shoulders. "Babe, we have a few minutes before you get your second wind from the pop. You're not hot and I'm not letting you go to the bathroom to fall asleep so talk to me, please."

I stretched my feet out across his lap again and relaxed from the defensive position I had taken, "As long as you're rubbing I will talk. You stop, I stop. Deal?" He nodded his head in acknowledgment.

"I was just thinking that it is great that they worked things out and got back together. I am really happy for them. I just have jaded opinions on marriage thanks to my own failed attempt. Forever isn't always a guarantee, you know. People rush into things and make the wrong decisions or think they are feeling things that aren't really there. I just wish there would come a time when the word marriage didn't give me the heebie-jeebies."

"Trust me, I was in just as much shock as you were when he proposed. Even more when they married an hour later. I have known Tank a long time, he doesn't rush into anything-even if it seemed like it tonight. If he was serious about asking her, he is serious about his decision to marry her. The vows he took tonight, he will honor them to a T. As for the word giving you the heebie-jeebies, it happens to me too. Things didn't turn out so right for me the first time either. The next time I get married, I am going to make sure it is the last and it will be forever." We both sat and thought about what each said me especially. Did Batman just say he would consider getting married again? At least I wasn't the only one who was freaked out. It was reassuring in a strange way. Two people who agreed not to define their relationship with titles and restrictions just weeks ago were now talking about marriage. Yes, they were both talking about it freaking them out, but at least they were talking about our feelings. I guess it was time I asked about the real thoughts that ruined our evening the night before.

"What happens when we get home?" I glanced off into the distant not sure if I wanted to see the expression on his face just in case one was there.

"What do you want to happen?"

"Not fair, I asked you. You can't turn it around."

"As long as you listen to everything I say and don't jump to conclusions before I finish." He glanced at me and I nodded my head. He let out a long sigh and continued, "Obviously things are going to change. RangeMan demands a lot of my time and you will be working as well. We won't have as much free time as we do now, but any free time I have I want to spend with you. I want to take you out to dinner and go dancing. I want to cook for you in my apartment. I want to talk to you at night on the couch, run ideas by you or vent about the day I had. Things may not always be pleasant, but I want you there. The thing I will miss the most is falling asleep with you in my arms and waking up to you still there. I think that it is going to be hard to make happen every day, but if we are being honest with each other that is it."

For a man of so few words, I don't think I have ever been in shock after he finished talking than I was right now. I don't think in a million years I could have put my feelings together to match his so eloquently and perfect. Everything he said was something I was thinking or wanted to have happen. So much for me trying to keep a blank face while he talked and not give away any reaction to him. My eyes were watering up and I didn't know if I would be able to hold them back. He was staring at me waiting for a response. I was speechless all I could muster was a simple 'Ditto.'

The next thing I heard was Babe before his body came crashing down on mine and our lips joining. My best guess is that he was fairly happy with my one word response. We finally drifted off to sleep together as the sun was peeking through our curtains.

A/N: I have never been to Las Vegas. I used the internet to help with some descriptions and places and took liberty elsewhere. Don't hold it to be 100% accurate or hate me for it.


	14. Chapter 14

The Dance, the Deal and the Job

Note: I do not own anything, all belongs to JE. This is my first fanfic, so please be kind. I love all the reviews, hope you enjoy this one. Thanks

Chapter 14

It has been three weeks since our trip to Vegas. We are no closer to finding out where the money was than we were before we left for Vegas. I keep finding dead ends and Ranger wasn't having any luck with his position inside the company. At this point I had earned $20,000, but I was ready to go back home. I couldn't believe I was homesick. I missed chasing skips. I missed gossiping with Lula and Connie. I missed my family even though my mom complains about my decisions every time I see her. The novelty of being a housewife was wearing off. Don't get me wrong, I loved being with Ranger, but cooking, cleaning, and the laundry I could do without. The only thing keeping me going at this point was that he was here with me. I was reviewing some of the searches I had already completed when my phone rang. It was odd because the only person that called it was Ranger and he was at work. He never called during the day.

"Hello honey," I said in my most endearing Cleaver housewife voice. There was silence. He was a man of few words, but if he was the one to initiate the phone call he should be speaking. "Ran-Carlos hello….hello."

"Babe, I need your help."

"Is this something that we can talk about when you get home or is it that important?"

"Before you say no, I will make this up to you. I promise. If I had another option at the moment I would do it and I wouldn't ask you." His tone and voice was so serious. My mind started thinking that something really bad happened.

"What is it? Whatever you need, let me know. I will do whatever I can to help you, just tell me what you need."

"I was afraid you would say that. One of our staff members in the in-house daycare unit had an emergency. She will be gone until next week. My boss knows that you haven't found a job since we, um moved here. He has asked me to ask you if you can help us out for the rest of the week. I know your feelings about kids especially other people's, but I don't see that there is any way you can say no. I know I put you in an awkward position. Whatever you want to make it even, just tell me it's yours. Please Babe."

He knows I can't say no when he says please. I was not looking forward to spending the next four days with a bunch of screaming kids. He was going to owe me big. I didn't know what it was going to be, but he would owe me big.

"Tell them I will be there in the morning." I let out a huge sigh as I committed myself to a week of torture with some other person's child. Part of me was also discouraged because that would mean another week lost on research and solving this case because I would be a professional babysitter.

"Babe, it won't be that bad." I must have said that last part out loud and like a poof of smoke he was gone without saying goodbye. Ranger must have felt guilty about the rest of the week. He came home with pizza, a few pints of Ben & Jerry's and doughnuts for the morning. We decided that I could wait and tell him what he owed me until the end of the week. I wanted to make sure I was rewarded fairly for my sacrifice. If the kids were crazy, he was going to owe me bigger than big.

I was dragged out of bed at six Tuesday morning and we were at the office by eight. Ranger dropped me off in the daycare center and said he would see me at five. We agreed the night before that even though we could spend lunch together, that I was going to mingle around with different people. Hopefully being in the building my spidey senses would help point me in the right direction. So far since we have been here, I haven't had the slightest tingle from anyone other than Ranger and I wouldn't consider that my spidey senses. I was assigned to watch over a dozen three and four years old. They were at least all potty trained and could answer to their own names. They spent the morning coloring and drawing shapes. After lunch, I read them a story and they took a nap. The younger class teacher, aka babysitter, watched both classes while I took a break during their hour long nap.

I headed to the cafeteria to grab a quick bite to eat. I took the longer route trying to get a feel for some of the office space and seeing if my spidey senses would trigger anything. I walked the whole first floor from one side to the other before I went down to the basement to get some food. I settled on a bagel, brownie and large Coke. I was going to need some extra sugar and energy to keep up with the kids the rest of the afternoon.

A few of the children had started to wake up as I was finishing up my lunch. Their afternoon schedules allowed for more free playing and less group activity. The boys seemed to team up to build a block wall and crash some toy trucks through it every few minutes. The girls took to putting on some dress up clothes and dancing in the middle of the room. I sat back and watched to make sure no one was getting hurt. As I watched the girls, for some reason my spidey sense started in. It was subtle, but it was the first time I felt it in almost two months. I brushed it off because the parent's girls could not be the mastermind behind stealing the money from these contracts. Some of their parents were our targets, but how could these kids be part of it.

The children were all picked up by 4:30. I survived the day except for the one kid who decided to spill his juice on me just as his mom was picking him up. I smelled a hundred times better than rolling in garbage so I didn't think the day was a complete disaster. If the rest of the week went the same way, it wouldn't be too bad. I went to the car to wait for Ranger to meet me. I dozed off thinking about the girls dancing and didn't wake up until I felt small kisses trailing up my neck. I pulled back, confused as to what was going on and then realized we were home and parked in the garage.

"Rough day Babe?" Ranger asked as I tried to pull myself together and not look like a complete zombie.

"It wasn't too bad. I got some juice spilled on my pants and shoes, but I want to know where they get all their energy. They are so tiny and seem to keep going and going." Ranger just gave me his 100-watt smile in return.

"Why don't you go upstairs and get cleaned up. I will have dinner ready when you are done and we can talk."

I opted for a shower because I was too afraid I would fall asleep in the tub and not wake up till morning. Ranger must still be feeling guilty because he made fettuccine alfredo with sausage for me. He enjoyed a rabbit's dinner of salad and a side of grilled chicken. Ranger went downstairs to workout and I figured he was multi-talented enough that we could talk at the same time. I gave him the brief overview of my day and let him know the only time I felt anything was when the girls were dancing. Even then it was barely registering on my radar.

"Babe, you know you have some of the best instincts even though you don't realize it some of the time. If that is what it is pointing too, I don't think it will hurt to check it out. Make random conversation with the girls and see if you can get a better grasp on it. It is amazing sometimes what little kids pick up on from their parents. We can go from there tomorrow and see where it takes us. Even if it is a dead end, it is as good as any other lead we have right now." I nodded my head in agreement. I wanted this to be over and if this was what I needed to do, I would do it.

Ranger spent the rest of the night making me forget that I was going to have to get up tomorrow and repeat the day all over again. One day down, three to go.

Wednesday morning went much the same way the day before did. The kids colored, practiced basic shapes and letters. I had lunch in the room while the other babysitter got to escape for some fresh air today. As the some of the girls started to wake up, I encouraged them to play and dance the same way they did the day before. I figured it wouldn't seem as obvious if I was talking to them about it if they were playing it. I held their hands and let them twirl in circles and dance around me. As I asked questions, my spidey senses were starting to go off more and more. Ronald Norwood's daughter was one of the girls in the class along with a few other executives. I got a little more assurance that I finally may have a lead to follow.

All the kids were out by 5 and I made my way to the car. Ranger was finishing up a call as I got in.

"Better day Babe?" He grinned slightly since it was obvious I didn't have anything spilled on me today.

"Not too bad. When I was talking to the little girls, I kept feeling like I was onto something with the dancing." Ranger cut me off with a kiss that made me forget my own name.

"Not here, wait till we get home. I have something I need to take care of and then we can talk." I nodded my head and drifted off to my nap zone for the ride home.

As our routine had become since we had been here, we discussed our day and possible leads while we worked out after dinner. I told Ranger that Ronald's daughter and a few others from our list were all in the same dance class. Ron's sister owns the business. I got the name of the dance center and we decided to check run some basic searches to see if anything pops out further.

Thursday night Ranger had to stay late, so I had driven myself in. When I got home I started the search on Ron's sister, Debbie and Debbie's Dancing Dream Studio. While the search ran I started to look at the grant applications that were awarded that were in question. Several of the contractors and suppliers listed in the bid packages were related to our dancing toddlers in my class. Ron's brother-in-law was the contractor awarded on the vacant lot project. My spidey senses were really starting to hum. The bank records for the dance studio showed an increase, but not three million dollars, in deposits after each grant was awarded. It was after seven and Ranger still was not back. I tried to fight the urge to check out the dance studio in person, but I couldn't resist. I sent him a text, fearing I couldn't lie to him over the phone, about being that time of the month and needing stuff. Guys squirm at that, so it was a safe bet he wouldn't ask questions.

I made it to the dance center 15 minutes before the last class ended. The class seemed to be made up of teenage girls tonight. The girls in daycare did say they all practiced on Saturdays. Hopefully none of the parents here had older girls and would recognize me. As the class broke up and people were gathering their gear to leave, I made my way to the back of the building. There was an office, storage closet and restroom. Lady luck was on my side and the office was unlocked. I was hoping to find a bundle of cash or an uncashed giant check sitting around, but there was nothing. I started snooping in the filing cabinets when I heard foot steps coming down the hall. I quickly jumped into the coat closet and prayed no one needed a jacket tonight. It sounded as if several people entered the room. I turned on the recording feature of my cell phone in case I needed proof. Ranger couldn't say I was unprepared this time.

"We need to get things moving a little quicker. I am tired of waiting for all of you." A woman's voice spoke to the others.

"Things like this take time, we can't draw any attention to ourselves. How many times do I have to tell you? You shouldn't have spent your allowance so quickly. Pace yourself. We won't have full access till after the new year. What do you need in the meantime?" A deep voice that sounded faintly familiar gritted out.

"30 large and I promise I won't call you all in again. I will make this last." The woman said and a chorus of yes and agreements in four to five voices agreed. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. It seems that they were distributing some money to each other and more would come at the beginning of the year. It sounded as if furniture was being moved around and the room was once again silent after the door was shut.

I waited about fifteen more minutes and tried to open the closet door. It wouldn't budge. I pushed and pulled, but nothing I did would get the door open. There was no way I was getting out of this without having to call Ranger. I knew I couldn't be this lucky and get home without him knowing. I opened my phone to six missed calls and three texts from the man in black. Good job Steph, somehow he already knows I am in trouble because I doubt that he is calling to say he is missing me.


	15. Chapter 15

The Dance, the Deal and the Job

Note: I do not own anything, all belongs to JE. I love all of the reviews- keep them coming. Enjoy!

Chapter 15

Smart Stephanie would have waited for Ranger to search the dance studio, stupid Stephanie ran in head first and was stuck in a coat closet. I didn't know for certain that there was no one left inside. I can't call Ranger to let him know what is going on, hopefully he will appreciate my text messages. I sent him a message to head to the dance studio and added the audio file for good measure. Hopefully he isn't too angry that he will listen to it before he gets here. I received a text back ten minutes later asking where I was again. I guess I was going to have to come clean since the door hadn't magically opened on its own.

_You can find me in the office in the back. I don't know if anyone is here. _

Sooner rather than later I heard the faintest tumble of a lock and let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. I knocked on the closet door, still not wanting to admit out loud that I locked myself in a closet. The door slowly crept open and I stood giving Ranger my best Miss America wave while he holstered his gun.

"Babe!" He was trying to hold his blank face down, but smirked.

"Don't even think of giving me a hard time. I did everything right. I wasn't trying to break the rules and run out on my own. Well I did, but it found me. Did you listen to..." Ranger silenced me with with his fingers to my lips butting me off before I was in full rhino mode.

"Let's get a quick peak at the ceiling and be on our way. If someone comes back, we will both be stuck in that closet. I don't think we can hide out till Tank can get here to help us out." He was grinning full on now. I guess I was back to being entertainment. I was confused with the ceiling comment, but I wasn't going to question my knight in shining armor now. Ranger pulled a chair over from the table and used it as a ladder to reach the ceiling tiles better. He removed three before he found what he was looking for. There were bundles of cash, documents and few ledger books. Ranger handed me a pile to start snapping photos with a camera he pulled out of his gear. He took photos of the room and ceiling hideout. Within fifteen minutes, Ranger felt we had enough evidence gathered that we could leave.

We got back to the house and I started to head up stairs. I was too excited to sleep. I wanted to see in more detail what the documents I photographed were. Before I realized what was happening, Ranger reached out and pulled me down the stairs. He flipped me over and pinned me down with our noses almost touching. Before I could speak, he pressed his lips against mine. I have no will power left in me after two months of trying to fight him off. My curiosity of seeing the pictures could wait. I gave in and kiss him back. As soon as I got into it and not worry about how my back will feel after a round on the stairs, Ranger pulls back.

He sat and took a minute to compose himself. "I don't know how you do it, but I am not going to question it. You may never hear the end of it with the closet jokes if the guys find out back home, but you found what we have been looking for. Toddlers and dance classes. I don't think I could have lived here for the next three years and put together what you found tonight. I don't know if it is luck, instinct or some force in the universe. I am not complaining, but you never cease to amaze me. I want to celebrate, but I think we both want to see the details on the camera and review it more closely."

I leaned over with a quick peck to the cheek and started to follow him up the stairs. I have not had too many compliments in my life, so I was just going to brush it off and not take it too seriously. Ranger began downloading everything to our computer and called the General. He sent a copy of everything we had to him for the team that would be doing the arresting to part investigating as well. After three hours of reading, searching names and bank records found in the files I was beginning to get tired. I left Ranger since he was on the phone again for the eighth time since we got back. I felt Ranger crawl into bed sometime later and join me in dream land.

Ranger was all business when he woke up in the morning. There was no hanky panky, well not as much as normal and he filled me in on his call and developments overnight with the case. We were going to go to work today like normal. A team was heading in and would take over for us. They would be doing some surveillance to help build a better case. Since we had all the information, they just need more evidence to build a solid case. We could pack up and head back to Jersey after work today. Our services were done.

On our way home that evening, I felt like Ranger wasn't in his usual zone. I tried to ignore it thinking it was something with the case, but I knew I was in trouble when he stopped at the carryout and had three flavors of Beg & Jerry's with him. He handed me one with a spoon and told me I may want to start eating it on my way home. I was even more nervous and followed my orders. I had half of the pint gone by the time we pulled in. I followed Ranger to the living room and sat down on the couch. He pulled my feet onto his lap before he started talking.

"I have a few things to tell you, if you listen to all I have to say it may not seem that bad. But please don't freak out and shut down." I nodded for him to proceed and picked up the second container of ice cream. "I got a call from Tank last night after you went to bed. He was hesitant to call me, but figured you needed to know sooner rather than later and since we can be on a flight out this weekend, you need to have time to process everything. Somehow you grandma took over your apartment since you have been gone. She was hosting a sex toy party with her friends. Tank was a little fuzzy on the full details and given the topic I don't blame him. Somehow your apartment caught fire and the building was a total loss." He delivered his speech with such an even tone you would think he was giving me the weather report.

"What do you mean a total loss? Just my bedroom or the whole place?" I shuddered as I thought about my grandma using my bedroom period, let alone hosting a sex toy party. "Was anyone hurt or my neighbors?"

"Everyone made it out okay since they were all at the party according to Tank, but there is no place for you to go home to. The building is a complete loss. He said something about body wax candles catching fire in the living room. I forced him to quit talking before he gave me the full details. Look at it this way, at least the fire didn't start in the bedroom." Ranger chuckled as he continued to rub my feet. He finally had a sense of humor and was making jokes. I just wish the topic was not about my grandma's possible sex life.

"So, you said you had a few things to talk about. There was number one, what is next?" Denial was my best friend. I was going to ignore that I lost all my belongings till the plane landed. I could stay at a hotel for a few days when I get back.

"We have until Sunday evening to be on a plane out of town. That leaves us with our final 48 hours where the outside world doesn't matter. Unless Tank wants to be sent to Siberia, he won't contact us until our plane lands. You need to decide what you are packing up and taking back to Jersey. You can keep anything in the house. Hal is heading out with a truck to pick everything up."

"What do you mean keep anything in the house? Everything but my clothes were already here. Whosoever house this is will want everything when they move back in?" I was quickly becoming upset, I didn't want to feel like a charity case and Ranger was making special exceptions given my new homeless status.

"Relax, it was prewritten into the contracts we signed. I would have allowed you to keep the personal belongings bought to maintain your cover either way. In most instances in the past, when I would have left my cover behind I didn't take anything other than clothes. The silver dish in my entry something I brought back from Columbia. Most of the stuff I just had destroyed. What you don't take with you will also be destroyed. The government doesn't like to leave anything behind that could be traced back to us. Generally assignments are oversees and riskier so it is even more important to not leave any traces. Same rules apply here." Ok, I guess I could somewhat accept a few temporary handouts.

"I will pick some stuff out. I will be buying my own stuff once I can afford it and then I will be donating everything back in Jersey. I can't just keep all of it and I can't agree with it being destroyed. Everything here is brand new, once I replace my own stuff I will be donating everything minus the clothes and shoes. There are some really great pumps up there that I won't be able to part with. Why Hal?" I was curious why he of all people had to drive out here and back.

"Hal was on duty the night your apartment went up. I guess they were doing routine security checks. Hal failed to report that your apartment was the only with lights on and he never checked inside. Tank feels the whole situation could have been avoided if he was doing his job correctly. He was injured in a take down a few weeks back and not on full field duty yet. He somehow convinced Lester to let him do the security check. He pulled into the lot, got a call from a female and then didn't actually go up to your apartment before coming back. Hal slipped up multiple times that evening and he has to pay the price. Bobby won't clear him to have some time on the mats, so he gets to spend quality time with himself driving back and forth across the country."

I was stunned, Hal got a call from a female. I obviously wasn't his mom or sister since he was distracted enough to forget about doing his job. I really need to get back to Trenton and catch up with Lester. He would have all the dirt on Hal. "Anything else you need to tell me?"

"Yes, be prepared for one finally life changing, experience broadening event. I am going to head to the gym for one last time. Are you coming?" With that he got up and walked away. If he didn't have such an amazing ass, I probably would have not been too distracted and tried to try and get more details out of him.


	16. Chapter 16

The Dance, the Deal and the Job

Note: I do not own anything, all belongs to JE. Thanks for all the reviews...I still can't believe people like this.

Chapter 16

I spent Saturday morning moving everything I was going to spend back to Trenton in the living room. Ranger worked on packing up the computers and security equipment in secure cases. With true Ranger precision, he came downstairs just as Hal was pulling into the driveway. Ranger told me to get what I was taking on the plane and be ready in an hour. I took a quick shower and was ready to leave 68 minutes later. I came downstairs to find Hal had unloaded boxes and supplies to work on packing up the house. I felt bad he was stuck by himself doing all of this except when assistance will come tomorrow before he leaves to do the heavy lifting, but I was selfishly thankful I was not doing it. I didn't have any good memories packing and moving and didn't want to relive those feelings today.

Ranger had a suspicious grin on his face when we pulled out with the top down on the Mustang. We headed in the direction of the airport, but instead pulled up to directly to small hanger on the outskirts of the airport. I looked around confused because the only plane I saw looked to small to hold more than 4 people and definitely did not look safe. As we pulled to a stop, I noticed two more familiar faces- Lester and Woody. I stood looking back and forth between Ranger, the guys and the plane.

"What are we doing?" I stood tall and braced my hands on my hips as I gazed at Ranger.

"We are flying back. One, I do not fly commercial if I don't have too and after our flight out, I am not chancing it again. Two, I have equipment that I can't take on commercial flight and I don't want to be driven across country in a U-haul. Third, you are going to join the mile high club." Ranger stated while he swept me off my feet and carried me towards the steps to climb up.

"Beautiful, if Ranger can't satisfy you, I can swap places and show you a real good time." Lester devilishly grinned at me. I squeezed Ranger's arm to put me down.

"From the stories I hear about Mr. Lester and his female companionship, you can't keep anyone around for more than one night, two if she is really drunk. So my by assumptions, I would be better satisfied in your bed if I did it myself. " I was toe to toe with him grinning. I missed these guys more than I thought.

"Ouch Beautiful, that hurts. But if this sassy version of Ms. Plum is what is coming back to Trenton with us, let's get this show on the road." Lester picked me up and spun us in circles before releasing me back to Ranger's possession as we boarded the plane.

We sat in our own seats during take-off and waited to get to cruising altitude. Lester came over the intercom, "Alright Rangeman and Beautiful, you have 3 hours and 27 minutes till we start our descent, make them count." Ranger set his watch and dragged me to the back of the plane behind closed doors.

After 2 rounds, Ranger pulled out some snacks for us. Well, if strawberries, whipped cream and chocolate sauce are considered a snack and continued our bedroom activities. If this is what flying with Ranger would be like every time, then I am not going to complain. I may even encourage it. Ranger's alarm eventually went off and we got dressed again. I tried to fix my makeup and fix my hair to at least look somewhat decent. I know every man on duty will greet us when we pulled into Haywood. Ranger could sense my frustration as usual and pulled his SEAL's hat out of a bag.

"Thanks. You're like a boy scout, always prepared."

"Babe. You look fine, but I know you are nervous and self conscious about your appearance in front of my men. Don't worry about them. They are all just jealous that they are not going to get the opportunity to be your boyfriend." He hugged me quick, pushed me into my seat and buckled me in. He held my hand and resumed his habit of playing with my ring while we descended. I was too distracted by his use of the word 'boyfriend' to enjoy these last few moments like this- us uninterrupted by Merry Men, cell phones, work or the 'Burg. We could be just the two of us ignoring the outside world because no one else knew who we were.

There were two SUVs waiting at the hanger. Lester and Woody unloaded the plane while Ranger and I went to talk to Cal. Cal handed the keys to Ranger. Ranger helped my in the SUV while he got an update from Cal. Tank was going to meet us, but was called to assist on a last minute take down of a high bond skip. Ranger told Cal to let Tank know we were offline till noon tomorrow and they would meet in his office for full rundown of the last 7 weeks. Ranger drove off and was soon in his zone, but I was restless. Too many unknowns were ahead of me and I couldn't get my mind back into denial land. Before I realized what was happening, Ranger was opening my car door and pushing my head between my knees.

"Slow, deep breaths Babe." He rubbed my back as I tried to calm down. "Do you want to talk about it know or later? We are about 20 minutes out from Haywood?" I gave him a weak smile and mouthed 'later'. I wasn't sure I could talk right now without breaking down. Ranger hopped back in the passenger seat, sent a few text messages and drove off. He held my hand again and played with my ring. We pulled into the garage and there was an eery quietness. Not one Merry Men present. I looked at Ranger for answers.

"It's been a long day, I figured you would want some quiet time. You can catch up with everyone tomorrow. Ella has made you dinner. Other than that we will not be interrupted till we come down to five tomorrow." Ranger steered me to the elevator and we headed up to seven.

I headed straight for the shower once we reached seven. I needed some distance and time to compose myself so I didn't look like a bumbling emotional idiot. Ranger knocked on the door to let me know Ella would be up in 30 minutes with dinner. That was another great quality of his. He knew when I needed space and wouldn't push until I had some time to work things out myself. I stripped and turned on the shower. I surrounded myself with the smell of Bvlgari as I began to sort my thoughts.

First, I needed to check if there are any insurance claims or reports to file for my apartment fire. I could probably take another week off from Vinnie's and get my living arrangements in order. Hopefully, he didn't give my job away while I was gone. Yes, Ranger would let me stay here or on four, but I want to have a place of my own. Maybe with the money I earned I could find a townhouse or condo to buy. It is probably time grow up a little and improve my dorm room lifestyle. I still haven't found out how much 'we' won in Vegas. Surely, there was another couple thousand dollars that I could put towards a new place. Second, I needed to get Rex back from the guys. I am sure he has gotten plenty of attention from being on five. Things would feel somewhat more normal if he was up here on seven too. I need to see him on the counter and talk things over with him. He always helps me think clearly. Finally number three, what is going on with Ranger? I am going to miss his contact and playing with my ring. Then what happens to our rings now that we are back and he called himself my 'boyfriend'. I thought we were title-less. Why did he have to complicate things when girls do that easy enough on their own with their own thoughts?

I was lost in thought I didn't hear Ranger come into the bathroom. He reached in shut off the water and handed me a towel for my hair and his robe. I took a moment to notice he was in sweats, a t-shirt and his hair was damp. He must have showered somewhere since he didn't join me. I wonder how long I was in the shower if he gave up and went elsewhere.

"I went down to Tank's apartment since he is out on a take down. You have been in there for an hour. Let's eat and we can talk." Ranger grabbed my hand and we headed to the kitchen. Dinner was set up on the breakfast bar and I could hear an all to familiar sound. I looked to see a much larger hamster cage on the counter.

I immediately head over to give Rex a proper hello. I am shocked to find Rex's fur is much darker than when I left in addition to the new home he is in. "Ranger what happened? You said I could trust the guys with him!" My voice was much louder and I was beginning to feel a full rhino mode come on.

"Relax and tap on the glass. He is in there sleeping. The guys thought Rex needed a lady friend and bought her. They named her Roxie. I guess they are pretty friendly with each other. The guys have a pool going that there will be hamster babies before the end of the year," Ranger pulled me close, held me for a long minute and kissed the top of my head. "Can you clear your head long enough to eat? Ella also brought a bottle of wine."

We enjoyed a delicious dinner that required neither one of us to cook or clean. It was amazing. I was enjoying a delicious piece of cheesecake when I decided I had enough wine to relax some and I could start clearing through my thoughts and get answers to at least some of my questions. I started with the easy one. "How much money did we win in Vegas?"

Ranger grinned at me and he looked like he was trying to hold back. "I was waiting to see how long it would take you to ask. $300,000." I choked and spit out the wine I had in my mouth all over Ranger. He wiped his face before adding "each." I was full on hyperventilating. I couldn't catch my breath. $300,000! All I wanted was a few thousand to buy a nice bed, maybe replace some of my clothes. _What was I going to do with $300,000?_

"Buy a new car, invest it, buy a new set of lingerie for everyday of the year." Ranger wiggled his eyebrows at me. Must have said that last thought out loud. "Just relax Babe, let's head to the couch and work through the rest of those thoughts running rampant in that head of yours. Besides, I think Rex and Roxie could use some alone time." Sure enough, I looked over and they were going at it like rabbits...well, hamsters.

I dragged myself over to the couch to make myself more comfortable. Ranger sat down and twisted me around to my feet were on his lap and he started rubbing. He really had learned over the past month how to push my buttons. I took a deep breath and let out a long sigh. The sooner I got this over with, the sooner Ranger would distract me with his skills in bed and I could go back to denial land till the morning.

"I just get to keep $300,000. That helps clear up my panic over the first few issues I have." Ranger nodded to keep going. "I knew I didn't have my apartment to come home to, but it just hit me all at once. My life as I knew it two months ago is completely gone- even more so know that I have a large chunk of change in the bank I didn't plan on having. I thought we would get back and everything would be like it was when we left. I would pick up where I left off, almost like I was never gone. But then it hit me everything has changed. Tank and Lula are married. Hal has a lady friend. Hell, Rex has a girlfriend! Everything is changed." I stopped talking for a minute to calm down. I think Ranger could sense what I was building up to. _It was now or never Plum, I haven't held back from him yet, I can't start now. _

"The scariest part is that we changed, but I don't want us to change how we have been the last few months. I want us to stay the way we are and not go back to the former versions of Ranger and Stephanie before we left. I want to keep making crappy dinners for you. I want to walk on the damn treadmill if it means we talk about nothing that involves work. Hell, even if it was work related I would still do it. You made me want to exercise! Something happened. I hate exercising! I want to wear this stupid ring, so you'll keep playing with it. I...I..."

"Stephanie Michelle Plum!" I was pulled out of my rant and before I realized what was happening I was pulled up against Ranger straddling his lap. I opened my mouth to protest and he put his hand over my mouth. I wasn't done. I had more I needed to say. I didn't want him to cut me off, make excuses or toss me aside before I could tell him that I loved him. I had to get it off my chest. It was weighing me down. I had to vocalize it at least once. I was going to drown myself in stress and paranoia if I didn't.

Ranger kept his hand over my mouth, blocking me from speaking, forcing me to listen to what I have to say. "Ditto." I looked at him for a second, stunned at his response. It took me a brief moment to register what he was saying. He agreed with me. Holy shit, Batman agreed with me. My face slowly broke out in a smile as I looked into his eyes. He was staring back at me with the same goofy smile that I am sure was plastered across my face.

Ranger reached up and cupped my face in his hands, he gently stroked my cheek with his thumb. As if time stood still, he slowly leaned forward and pressed his lips against mine. I closed my eyes and lost myself in the sensation. I opened my mouth and let him in, his tongue stroked the inside . My hands wrapped around his neck and he pulled me closer. His hands dropped down to my thighs and I remembered I was still in the robe as I felt his hands drift higher against my bare skin. I pulled back for just a second before my final logical thoughts left my head looked him in the eye and said "Ditto."

Ranger picked me up and carried me to the bedroom. We pleasured each other individually back and forth before finally falling over the edge together a few hours later. I rolled off Ranger and turned to face him as I as nestled securely in his arms.

"I had one more thing to say before you cut me off earlier." I paused and looked straight into his eyes. I wanted him to know I took this seriously. "I love you." Without missing a beat Ranger returned those life altering, heart melting words, "I love you too, Babe." I am not sure what time we fell asleep, but I knew I was going to be sore in the morning and the pain would be worth it.

A/N: I was going to end it with a slight emotional cliffhanger with the last 6 paragraphs starting the next one. But decided against it. This last part of the chapter has been one of my most favorite to write. Thanks to the day I was bored at work...I know...and started drafting the next section via email. I wouldn't want to leave myself hanging and didn't want to do it to you amazing readers out there that are actually enjoying this. In the beginning I thought no one is going to read this or like it...thanks for all the support.


	17. Chapter 17

The Dance, the Deal and the Job

Note: I do not own anything, all belongs to JE. Should I say there are only 4 more chapters left...I love all the reviews, thank and enjoy!

Chapter 17

I woke up to the sun streaming in through the windows and the gentle stroke of a certain Cuban trailing his fingers up and down my backside. I know he knew I was awake, but I laid still for a few moments just enjoying his touch and remembering last night. I could lay in bed all day, but our presence was necessary on five sooner rather than later. All too soon I was pulled out of my dreamland and Ranger's land line was ringing. I groaned and buried my head under the pillows while Ranger laughed while getting up to answer it.

"Must have been important to not call your cell." I stated to Ranger as he walked back into the room.

Ranger leaned down picking up what looked like his phone, but a smashed version of it. He tossed it at me. "Since you did a number on mine when the alarm went off at 6, they had no choice but to call on the other." I looked at him in disbelief. I had no memory of breaking his phone. "You grabbed it from my hands and threw it against the wall mumbling something about bat's only being out at night and you started doing this thing with your tongue, so who was I to stop you. Either way we need to get ready and head down to five unless you want all the men up here. They are getting restless and it is already after 11."

I stayed in my cocoon under the covers while Ranger showered. When I heard the water shut off I started to stretch to get my body moving. As I rubbed my hand over my face, I noticed a difference in my ring finger. My ring was replaced with a simple silver band. The band was twisted to look like a piece of rope with a knot twist on the top. It was simple, beautiful and looked like an antique. I was sitting, admiring it, rubbing my fingers over it. I felt a connection to the ring and whoever had it before me was loved deeply. I looked up to notice Ranger standing in the doorway looking at me.

"I didn't think you wanted to wear the other ring and draw too much attention to yourself and harassed with questions and 'Burg gossip. I have had that ring for awhile, figured it would look good on you. If you want something else, we can go and you can pick out whatever you want."

I shook my head no and walked to meet him in the doorway. "It's perfect." A quick peck on lips and he pushed me into the bathroom to get ready. By 12:23 we were on our way to the fifth floor with us standing together, my back pressed to his front. The same way we slept every night. The elevator doors opened and I didn't even get a chance to take a step out of Ranger's arm before I was yanked out and crushed in a bear hug by Tank. I was passed around to every man on the floor while Ranger stood back with Tank. After a few minutes they headed off and I was left on the floor with all the guys. My stomach protested and let it be known it was time for lunch since I still hadn't eaten yet today.

I was trying to eat my sandwich when Lester noticed the ring on my finger. He pulled my hand to take a better look at it. He grinned at me and started chuckling under his breath. "Nice ring you have there Beautiful. Where did you get that from?"

I thought it was strange of Lester to want to know where it came from. I would play along with him and answer his questions, but I didn't want to give him too much and let him know my true feelings on the subject. "Ranger. I was used to having a ring on and he said he had this one for awhile and I could wear it. It looks old, but I don't know where he got it from."

"Oh Beautiful, let me give you a little hint. I have seen this ring before. Your lover boy is holding out on you. That ring you are wearing doesn't have a large monetary value to it, it does have a huge sentimental value in our family." I was stunned, what does Lester know that I don't? "Our grandfather gave this our Grandma Rosa before they left Cuba for the US. They weren't married yet, but she kept it as her wedding ring when they did eventually marry in the US. She didn't want him to waste money on a stone or a different band. The knot is called an infinity knot, meaning their love would never end. She wore that ring for almost 60 years. She gave it to Ranger after Scrog. She saw you at the hospital and told him he would know when the time was right to give it to the right girl. She wore that ring every day until she gave it to him."

I was at a lose for words. Damn him! He acted like it was just a ring upstairs not telling me any of the history about it our how much it meant to his family and him. I knew from our talks over the last couple of months how much his grandma meant to him and her influence on him. I stormed out of the break room to find Ranger. I heard Lester and Bobby betting on what body part I would hurt on Ranger.

Ranger's office door was closed and I barged right in. "Ricardo Carlos Manoso!" I tried to come out angry for the way he brushed off the ring, but I couldn't. He stood as I came around his desk and all my anger was replaced with love and admiration. I grabbed hold of him and poured everything I had into that kiss. I wanted him to know how much I really cared and knew what the ring actually meant. I heard a few coughs and throats being cleared and then remembered his door was closed when I came in. _Shit! _Ranger leaned down to whisper in my ear, "I have a feeling a little birdie gave away my secrets to you." I nodded. "In that case be prepared to continue this later and be punished for breaking Rangeman protocol and barging in." _Yikes, I was screwed. Maybe today would be a good to head over to my parents...maybe. _

Ranger turned us around and I realized that not only was Tank in the room, Lester and Bobby standing in the doorway, and an unidentified man dressed in a military uniform was sitting across from the desk grinning. "Babe, this is General. General this is Stephanie Plum. She was the key to success in Colorado." He reached out and shook my hand.

"Pleasure to meet you Ms. Plum. I greatly appreciate the work you did."

"It was nothing, sir. Just glad to help out." I was embarrassed and just wanted to leave the office, but Ranger had a tight grip on my hand and was playing with the ring. Who am I kidding, I wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

"I am disappointed though. I thought for a minute there I would finally see someone put Carlos in his place. I guess I will have to wait for my next visit. It has been a pleasure as always. I will call you in a few days when everything is finalized." Each of men said their goodbyes and Tank escorted the General out.

"Do you have any plans for the day Babe?" Ranger asked as he took a seat back behind his desk. I guess he had more work to do with Tank.

"I was debating between looking for a place to live and checking out if any insurance reports or police reports still need to be completed or heading to my parents. Mom hasn't called yet, but when she finds out I am back in town, she will be calling. The sooner I get that visit over with the better. I am hoping that Grandma is out so I don't have to hear any details of her party."

"Tank had the Rangeman attorneys take care of everything with the fire. You should be getting your insurance check in 2-3 weeks. Hal will be back by Wednesday with the truck. We can put it in storage till you find a place, no rush. I would rather stay here and do paperwork than have the slightest chance of hearing about your Grandma's party. Take Lester with you for punishment of sharing my secrets."

"Yes sir!" I commanded and turned to leave. I grabbed Lester and we headed out. He was not happy to hear where we were headed.

Luckily when we got to my parents house, only my mom was home. She was glad to have me back, didn't press for too many details and relieved that since I was back people would stop calling and trying to figure out where I went. I guess after the first few weeks the 'Burg stopped the Where's Steph gossip and moved onto Loraine Crowalski's daughter Lucinda. She pushed up her wedding date earlier this year and gave birth to a baby girl seven months later. Lucinda wasn't the perfect angel everyone thought she was. I guess there was even rumors Mike wasn't the baby's father. Unfortunately, once Grandma set fire to the apartment complex, our family became the center of attention again and the Where's Steph gossip started again. My favorite rumor was that I ran off to join the nunnery and took a vow of silence because I had developed an incurable STD. I am sure that rumor was started by Joyce. That bitch just couldn't leave me alone. My mom asked about Ranger and invited us back for dinner on Sunday. I was surprised I didn't get any comments on that. She said she decided while I was gone that life was too short and it was about time she stopped being to critical of her daughter's and just enjoy life.

I had Lester stop at the grocery story on the way back to pick up some food and supplies. Ranger's cupboards were empty and I didn't want to call Ella every time I wanted a snack. I could at least make my own peanut butter and olive sandwich. When I got to seven I found Ranger changing out his gear for the more beefed up SWAT version of Ranger. I took my sandwich to the bedroom while he got ready.

"We go a lead on a high bond skip. I am heading out with the guys. I won't be back till late since it is in Newark. Check in with the Control Room if you decide to head out. Cal is running the floor since most of us will be out for the take down." I nodded and with a quick kiss to my curls, he was gone. I decided to stretch out on the couch with my laptop and start researching places to live.

At some point I dozed off and woke up around 11. I heard some strange noises, but I knew I there was no one else with me in the apartment. It was really starting to drive me nuts so I got up to investigate. As soon as I turned on the kitchen light it stopped. I looked around to find Rex and Roxie in a compromising position. I think I may join the guy's betting pool for lovely couple. Rex is no longer getting his exercise on his wheel.

I checked my messages and found no update from Ranger, so I sent a text Lula to meet up later this week for lunch. She and Connie could update on all the gossip I missed out on and find out how the construction was going on the Bond's office. I couldn't find anything worth settling on watching and laying in bed by myself was lonely. I had a bunch of energy. I was restless and the only thing I could think of was to head to gym and work off some of it. I was probably going to give the guys on monitors a heart attack. Hopefully Bobby was here in case anyone needed medical attention.

There were a couple of guys working out when I entered the gym. They were probably getting ready to go on the midnight shift. I did some stretches before hoping on the treadmill with my music streaming through my ear buds. I started out walking and slowly kept increasing my speed till I was up to a jog. Soon I was all alone in the gym.

A/N: I thought up the look of the ring in my head and eventually found what I pictured on Etsy. Check out WatchMeWorld...now I just have to convince someone to buy it for me, probably shouldn't buy a ring symbolizing love for yourself. Lol.


	18. Chapter 18

The Dance, the Deal and the Job

Note: I do not own anything, all belongs to JE. This is a little short one to fill in Ranger's side of things. Thanks for all the reviews. I was going to post the last four chapters slowly during the day today, since we are headed to an offroad park and won't be back till late...consider this my gift to all of you. I could have made you wait, but since the lil guy is up early I am posting them all for you to enjoy this morning when you hopefully wake up at a decent hour for a Sunday morning. We have him on too good of a schedule. Any advice for teaching an eight month old the meaning of sleeping in on the weekends?

Chapter 18

Ranger's POV

I noticed quite a few guys checking their cell phones after the take down was complete. We had a team of seven guys here including myself- Tank, Lester, Bobby, Woody, Vince and Zip. Everything went smoothly as it should. It was just after 11. We should be back to the offices by midnight. There were snickers and laughing among the guys as they were messing with their phones, but I didn't think too much of it. We loaded up in the SUVs and headed back to Trenton. The skip was dropped off with the Newark PD by Woody, Vince and Zip. I was trying to decompress from my day and go through my never ending to do list for the next day in my head, but I kept getting distracted by the constant buzzing of Lester and Bobby's phones in the back seat.

"Do you two have somewhere more important to be?" I turned around and glared back at them.

"Relax Ranger, we just got some intel and are reviewing it before we get back." Lester spoke up and said it with a smirk. I swear if he wasn't related to me, I would have never hired him no matter how good he was at his job. They both seemed to adjust the volume on their phones to silent for the rest of the ride back. I headed up to five to drop off my gear before heading up to seven. I noticed a few guys lingering on the monitors, but figured a second, third or forth opinion must have been needed for an account. I was going to keep myself out of it, Cal could run the floor. If it was anything serious the alarms would be going off. I headed up to seven to hopefully wake up Steph and drag her into the shower with me.

I waked into the apartment and heard the most obnoxious sound coming from the kitchen area. Those damn hamsters never let up. As happy as that fur ball makes Steph, I don't know if I can keep him up here much longer especially with Roxie. What the hell were my men thinking? I walked through the living room to the bedroom. I stopped in my tracks as it looked like someone had once been laying in it, but was no longer there. I turned towards the bathroom and again it was empty. Where could she have gone at this hour? _Please God, anywhere but out with Lula_. I double checked she wasn't in the office before calling her cell. I heard a muffled ring found it in her purse on near the door. She couldn't have gone far without her purse, but all bets were off when it came to Stephanie. The guys had to notice her leaving, she couldn't have just sneaked out. In the past yes, but right now she would have no reason too. I checked my phone for any messages from her I may have missed and headed down to five. Cal had some explaining to do since I had to come back down.

My temper rose quickly as I made my way down the stairwell and flung the door open on five. I got every man's attention on duty. "Report!" I barked towards no one in particular. The room went silent and no one spoke up. "Don't make me ask again." I stated as I came to a rest next to the bank of monitors.

"Sir, we are all quiet tonight. No break-ins or alarms yet, unless the system is down. I can have Manny run a check. If you know something we don't, let me know and I can get men on it." Cal was looking a little pale, but stood his ground up against Ranger. He started to pull out his phone like he was going to call someone. I interrupted him before he called Manny in from home. He had a newborn at home and I wanted to make sure he was needed before dragging him in.

"Where's Stephanie? She was here when I left and now the apartment is empty and she left without her purse or phone." More men were gathering on the floor as I spoke. I wanted answers and they all stared at me not speaking. What happened to their respect for me? There may be quite a bit of mat time in the near future.

Lester was grinning from ear to ear before he spoke up. "Well Boss Man, that is for us to know and you to find out. I never thought I see the day when you would be all pissy about what her, let's call it her current condition. I will take the brunt of it for every man right now, since we all seem to know but you thanks to our intel sharing and fancy ass company cell phones. But let's just say you and Bombshell are playing a game of hide and seek right now, well you are and she doesn't know it. I will give you a hint, she is not on five or seven. Good luck."

What had happened to my men while I was gone? They were not giving me what I demanded of them. I didn't care if she was safe and in the building. I didn't want their bullshit, I wanted answers. " Lester and anyone still standing here in the next 30 seconds meet me on the mats tomorrow at 0500." I stormed off to the stairwell not giving anyone the time to answer me. I quickly made my way to four checking to see if Steph was in the rec room. I ruled out six arguing to myself that Luis and Ella turn in at 10 every night. I was certain she was not with them. I tore through the forth floor and Bobby's medical lab. She clearly was not there. I skipped over the gym and headed down to two. I noted as I stepped off the stairwell it was all dark and the same with the lobby floor. I headed across the garage floor and to the entrance to the gun range. The door was still locked from the outside, so I ruled it out as well. I heard by cell beep to alert me of a text message. From Lester, great!

_**Ice cold Rangeman. **_

Assholes were watching me upstairs.

_Midnight monitor duty for a week. _

I will always win in the end.

I walked back to the stairwell, taking my time but not wanting to appear clueless on camera. I cleared every floor. Where the hell could she be? I ran through the building in my head top to bottom- seven, six with Ella, Control Room, rec room, med lab, gym, lobby. Fuck! I skipped the gym. Steph of two months ago would have avoided the gym, the Steph of post Colorado wouldn't be too much of a stretch although she has never worked out without me. I headed for the gym and wishing I had my fob with me to scramble the cameras. I am sure I had given the guys enough footage tonight I was never going to live down the ribbing from it.

I opened the door quietly hoping to enter unannounced to have a few moments to admire the view of Steph working out on her down. I stood watching across the room as she jogged a decent pace on the machine. She wasn't running as fast as most of the men here run, but considering where she started a few weeks ago it was a huge improvement. I goal wasn't to make her run or get in shape. It was just something she picked up to doing while I did my workouts. She was walking at a pace now and slowing to a stop. She stood on the machine wiping her face down with a towel. She had to be hotter than usual, running in gym shorts and a Rangeman t-shirt tied up around her waist. She was used to running in a barely there sports bra and shorts that covered just enough to be considered appropriate. I can't help it, I am a man and I bought them thinking they were for my eyes only.

I slowly approached the treadmill like a lion stalking its prey. I reached out for Steph to take her in my arms and greet her the way I should have 20 minutes ago upstairs.


	19. Chapter 19

The Dance, the Deal and the Job

Note: I do not own anything, all belongs to JE. This is my first fanfic, any mistakes are mine. Thanks for the reviews.

Chapter 19

Steph's POV

I wound down my workout feeling the burn and the excess energy washed away from my body. I wiped the sweat from my face. I needed to get better workout clothes. The shirt was too baggy and kept distracting me from my pace. I look down at the machine and see that I completed just over seven miles. A new personal best. I kept my music playing as I wiped my face and drank from a water bottle. Out of no where, I felt arms reach out to grab me. Before I could register anything, I spun around kneed my attacker in the groin and connected by fist with his face.

"Babe!" Ranger groaned as he fell to the ground. _Shit! Shit! Shit! _

"Oh my god Ranger. I am sorry. I didn't hear you come in. I thought I was alone. I forgot where I was and my instincts took over and, and, and oh my god I am so sorry." I was kneeling on the ground handing him my towel for his bloody nose and I rambled on and apologized profusely.

He was taking a bunch of slow deep breaths and mumbling in Spanish. I was pretty happy right now that I didn't know the language and had no clue what he was saying. Ranger grabbed hold of my arm and pulled me down on the mat laying beside him. I was scared for the first time in a long time so I was silent waiting for him to say or do something.

Ranger rolled on his side forcing me to face him before he spoke. "I never thought that I would be saying this, but I am beginning to regret Tank teaching you how to throw a punch. I am the only one not benefiting from it. If I didn't receive enough flak from the guys already tonight, I am never going to live this down."

"What are you talking about the guys?"

"I got back from the take down and you weren't in the apartment. I assumed something was wrong or you left. I went down to five to find the details and no one would tell me where you were. Lester is now on midnight monitor duty for him telling me it was game of hide and seek." I had to laugh at that, it would be funny to see the guys standing up to Ranger. I am sure Lester was loving every minute of it. "To make matters worse, my fob was upstairs since I didn't need it and I couldn't scramble the cameras. I am sure by now this footage is making its way to the other offices."

"I am really sorry. I was distracted and you caught me off guard."

"What were you doing down here anyways?" Ranger questioned me sitting up.

"I was restless and I couldn't sleep. It felt weird being in bed alone. I realized that I hadn't been on the treadmill since we got back. I never thought I would say this I think my body missed it. I am not getting up at the crack of dawn to come down here, but I think I am going to have to find time some nights to get down here like I did when we were gone. I reached seven miles today."

"Proud of you Babe." Ranger stood and pulled me to my feet. "How about we head upstairs and you can try and make this all up to me?" I buried my head into his chest to hide my blushing as we made our way to the elevator. I guess I wouldn't have to worry about not being able to sleep now.

I woke to the sunlight streaming in through the windows and a warm body still attached to my back. I rolled over to glance at the clock. It was past eight o'clock and Ranger was still in bed. I dreamed of days like this, but they never actually happened. I settled back in bed and just stared at Ranger. He looked peaceful and relaxed until I looked a little closer at the side of his face pressed into the pillow. It appeared there was some bruising around left eye. _Shit! I gave Batman a black eye. _I tried to slowly move out of bed, hopefully I could grab my clothes quick enough to get out of the apartment and avoid him for a few more hours. I felt a hand grab hold of my wrist and yank me back across the bed. I was face to face with a highly alert Ranger who was wearing his blank face.

"It's not polite to stare Babe." His tone was neutral and I was slightly afraid of what would happen next.

"I am really sorry. I didn't mean to do it." I tried to smile and plead with my eyes to let me off easy. "Why are you still here? Shouldn't you be downstairs for the morning meeting?"

"I am offline today." He said still with his threatening tone. I looked at him with surprise. Ranger was not one to just take a day off in the middle of the week. "Someone gave me a nice shiner last night and I really don't want to hear it from my men. If the messages on my phone are any indication already, I rather take the day off and let the bruising go down." I have never known Ranger to be scared or back down. "Besides" he continued "my girlfriend isn't working either and she still has some making up to do, so I am going to make the most of the day." Ranger rolled me on top of him as he finished talking. He made some valid points, I wasn't about to argue with him.

Ranger and I were enjoying a late lunch on seven. I was telling him about some of the places I found yesterday online and we decide to head out to see a few of them in person. The first two places were much better on paper than they were in person. I didn't think it was possible to find a crappier apartment than my last one, but I found two. We stopped at a cafe to get a drink at the base of building near downtown and about 10 minutes from RangeMan. Ranger refused to remove his sun glasses even though it was a cloudy day. There were a few storefronts along the street level. The next few floors were rented out as office space. The remaining 15 stories were converted to lofts that could be bought or leased. There was underground parking for anyone who lived in the building. As we sipped our drinks, Ranger said that Rangeman handled the security on the building. It was a property he had not been to before, but we should check it out since we were here. I protested not wanting to get my hopes up for something that I couldn't afford. Ranger was persistent and I finally caved when he promised a stop for ice cream. How can I say no to that?

We headed up to the management offices and met with the owner. He had lofts available on the third, tenth and top floor. I refused the keys to the top and Ranger refused the keys to the third, I guess we would be looking at the tenth floor. The elevator would only let guest off at the floor the access card let them. Each floor was split into two apartments on either side. We stepped of the elevator to a very unimpressive generic lobby. I think the exterior of seven had more personality and that was saying a lot since there was only a door to the apartment and door to the roof. Ranger keyed his way into the apartment and I stepped back to let him in first. I was trying not to get my hopes up. Ranger walked in and I slowly followed behind.

The apartment entry lead directly into a living room, off to the side was a dining area and kitchen. They were separated from the rest of the room by half walls but it really made the room fell like one big space. The exterior was was made up of more windows than drywall allowing the afternoon sun to pour in. There were two bedrooms, two baths and a small room that could be used as an office off of the entry. An utility room allowed for a washer and dryer.

Ranger was quiet as I slowly looked around the apartment. One bedroom shared the bathroom that was open to the rest of the apartment. I made my way down the hallway towards the second bedroom. Scratch that, the master bedroom. The bedroom took up the corner of the building and windows made up the walls on two sides. The bedroom felt bigger than Ranger's and I could easily get a duplicate of his amazing bed in here. I walked towards the back of the room to find an equally impressive master bathroom with separate tub and shower. It didn't have as many shower heads as Haywood, but it still looked amazing. Everything was crisp, bright and impressive. As I can out of the bathroom, I noticed a second doorway opening. I walked inside and stumbled over my own feet. There was floor to ceiling shelving and more space to store clothes than I currently owned or ever owned at any one time. Ranger stood leaning against the wall keeping quiet still. He had a smirk plastered to his face like he knew he was right in bringing me up here. I was speechless. There was no way I could afford this place, but at the same time I was in love with the space.

"What do you think Babe?" Ranger asked as we walked back out to the main room.

"I think you are going to be on my shit list. There is no way I can afford some place this nice and now I am mad. I didn't want to get my hopes up."

"Before you get too mad, I think you missed the best part." Ranger steered me towards the window to further force me to enjoy the view. We were high enough up that most of the other buildings were not blocking the view. "Look straight that way, you see that brick building with the slightly raised platform on the roof." I nodded. "That's Haywood. You can see it from here." My heart broke even more, there was no way I was going to be able to live here. "Before you rule it out, let's talk to some people and see what it would take to get this. I think you can do it on your own."

"I bet you I can't. In fact I am so sure, I bet you to a week of 5 a.m. runs that I can't."

"Well see about that." was all that Ranger said as we made our way back to the car. Later that evening Ranger made an appointment with his financial guru accountant for Thursday evening. He sent all the necessary information to him and he would let us know if it was possible to afford that place.


	20. Chapter 20

The Dance, the Deal and the Job

Note: I do not own anything, all belongs to JE. Boo, one more to go after this one. Thanks for reading and the reviews.

Chapter 20

Thursday morning I woke up alone to an empty apartment. I took my time getting ready, since I was going to stop by the Bond's Mobile Home Office to pick up Connie and Lula for lunch. We had some major gossip to catch up on and we didn't need prying ears or Vinnie's bugs to interfere.

"Oh, white girl. I have been waiting for this moment. Look at you. All hot and glowing with months of Ranger sex in your blood." Lula gushed and was shrieking in my ears when she got into the car.

"Calm down, I want to know what a happened with you and Tank first. What the hell was that all about?"

Connie, Lula and I dished back and forth on the drama I missed out on while I was gone. It seemed like they were holding something back from me, so I called them out on it.

Lula and Connie looked at each other and Connie finally spoke up. "Harry got into some trouble awhile back that is why the building has been delayed this whole time. The bonds office is going to be sold off as soon as Harry can find a buyer. Lucile is leaving Vinnie for someone else and Vinnie doesn't have enough on his own to buy out Harry. I guess he is heading South and Lucile is headed to upstate New York."

I was in shock just something else that would be changing. I felt sorry for my friends. I had a little bit of money to sit on, but I knew Lula and Connie didn't have much in the way of savings. Lula did have Tank's support know, but her desire for independence only rivaled my strong feelings about it. Harry was looking to get $500,000 for the business because that was the value of the bonds he was tied up in now. I eventually dropped the girls back off at the office and headed back to Haywood. I went directly up to seven and into my thinking position to try and come up with a resolution. I must have dozed off because the next thing I knew Ranger was waking me up to get ready for our dinner meeting.

"How were the girls today?" Ranger asked as he stepped out of the shower and started to shave beside me as I worked on my hair.

"Good, except none of us are going to have a job soon. Harry wants out of the bonds business and Vinnie is splitting with Lucile. Harry is asking $500,000 for the business. Once he gets that he is out and the office will be closed. Who knows if the new owners will keep any of us or when it will reopen again. I didn't even bother talking to Vinnie today about coming back. I told Lula to call if she needed help with any skips, but I don't want to take any money from them right now. I actually have money in savings right now thanks to you, so I want to help them out and do this."

"I can see the wheels turning, are you going to tell me what you are thinking?" Ranger stared at my reflection in the mirror.

"I think I have a way to keep it open, but I need to think about it and do some research. If I need an opinion or advice, I will let you know." Ranger nodded his head in acknowledgment. I stepped out of the bathroom and headed to the closet to get dressed. I stood across the room and watched Ranger move about the bathroom. We seemed to live together so easily. There were never any fights about me taking up to much space or not cleaning up enough. I have Ella mostly to thank for the last part. Ranger paid her well to make sure everything was taken care of.

I started to go through everything I learned today in my mind. I had some money I could put towards buying the bonds office, but not all of it. I didn't have good enough credit to get a loan for the rest, let alone to have enough cash to cover the start-up costs and extra cash to get the business running. Second, issue would be the money to get a building or rent office space. If I wanted to invest in the bonds office, I wouldn't be able to get my dream home and would have to settle for another rundown apartment.

I started talking myself out of it arguing that I didn't need someplace that nice anyways. I should just be happy with what I had and didn't need a nice place to only have it for Rex and I to enjoy. Well Roxie too now, but they were too busy with each other to even care about their surroundings. I could stay with Ranger a bit longer, he didn't seem bothered to have us still here. I didn't want to overstay my welcome and have us end up hating each other. We had already moved pretty fast and I was waiting for the ball to drop.

We headed down to the garage and took off in the Turbo. Ranger took my hand and played with my ring. I sat back relaxed and let my mind clear. I would start doing some research tomorrow and see if buying a bonds office made sense no matter how much money it would take. We were escorted to the back of Rossini's to the private dining area where two men were already seated.

"Gentlemen, this is Ms. Plum. Babe, J.J. my lawyer you may remember and R.J., RangeMan's financial adviser." Ranger shook hands with each man and we took our seats. The wine and food kept pouring out of the kitchen without us having to order. I could only imagine how much this meal was costing Ranger. J.J. let us know he resolved all issues with our gambling winnings since technically they were reported under our assumed identities.

R.J. started in on letting us know my options for buying or leasing the loft. He recommended to look into buying the unit. In the long run, I would gain more from the investment. Due to the recent growth in the area, the price was low and it was estimated to increase in value at least 20% in the next five years. It was a unique building in the area and given the location if Trenton continued to grow their downtown area it would be hot asset in the coming years. If I put $50,000 down and invested the remaining $250,000 I could make draws from it to help cover living expenses, but also start to have a nice savings for future use and retirement.

"How quickly could I grow the money I have to $500,000?" I asked R.J. Ranger looked at me with an amused expression and quickly put together our conversation from earlier with where my thoughts had been in the apartment. I quickly made up my mind. I wanted to buy the bonds office. I would worry about where I was going to live later. I could sleep in my office. I didn't care. I couldn't let someone else buy it. Ranger grabbed my hand under the table and started to rub my ring. "I want to purchase a business and would need at least $500 probably closer to $700. I don't know. I don't know all the details yet, but I would need help planning it out. I am sorry you wasted your time on the loft, but can you redo everything you did? I can get you more information on the costs on Monday."

J.J. and R.J. sat there in stunned silence. I think they were waiting for Ranger to acknowledge the change of plans. "Stephanie will get you all the information by Monday afternoon. We will meet again here on Thursday to discuss your results. Any problems?" Ranger looked to both men. They both agreed and headed out. Ranger and I enjoyed dessert before heading back to Haywood.

"Proud of you Babe." Ranger said as we got into the car and kiss my hand.

"Thanks, but you might not be too proud when I have to ask for a favor. I may need to stay with you a little longer still I get this all sorted out. I hope you don't get sick of me."

"Stay as long as you need, but either way I think you owe me a week of 5 a.m. runs. You could get the loft, you just choose not too." I nodded my head and dozed off for the remaining drive home. I don't know what I just got myself into.

We headed up to seven and my mind was spinning. I had so many ideas running through my head. I tried to relax and just give myself tomorrow to work on it. Connie and Lula would be free this weekend to help me if I needed it. The main problem I had was money. How would I come up with it? I was laying in bed wide awake and kept sending myself emails with more notes and ideas.

"Will you please put that damn thing away? I am laying here naked and you have no interest." Ranger scuffed at me. I looked over at him, he was looking a little desperate. Once Ranger was satisfied, well me too, I crept out to the living room. I couldn't sleep. I started doing some research on the laws and looking into what it would take to open business.

"Babe, come to bed." I heard from the bedroom. I looked up to see Ranger stalking towards me. "You won't be able to function tomorrow if don't get some sleep. It's after 2, I think you can give it a rest." I let out a huge yawn, I thought I found a solution. I just needed to find some investors.

I felt the weight shift on the bed, waking me from my sleep. I started to get out of bed. "Go back to sleep, Babe. I have an early meeting with the Core Team before our regular meeting."

"No, I need to come down and ask you guys something. I came up with an idea last night on the bond's office and I need to get you and the guy's approval on." We headed to the shower and were downstairs by seven. I was on my third cup of coffee by the time Tank, Lester and Bobby arrived.

"Gentlemen, Steph has the floor. She has something to go over with us." They all nodded and sat back to listen to what I had to say. No pressure.

"Um...so...I...I want to buy the bonds office." That gave me three sets of raised eyebrows and a reassuring smile from one Cuban. "Rumor has it Harry wants out and Vinnie doesn't want it. Asking price is $500k, I have some of it myself. I was thinking I could get a few private investors to get the rest of the money needed."

"I'm in." Tank announced before I had a chance to continue with the others nodding in agreement.

"No that's just it. I don't want your money. You guys already have Rangeman and don't need to get involved with this. I want to ask some of the other guys if they want to be silent partners. I just wanted to make sure it was okay with everyone and wouldn't cause any conflicts first. I would own 50% and the other 50% would be split with whoever bought in." I sat down as I finished speaking, slightly scared and intimidated. I was afraid they would all start laughing at my idea and think it was crazy. They all looked at each other doing their ESP tricks.

"We don't have a problem as long as Rangeman still gets any skip over $50k." Tank stated with this blank face.

I jumped up more excited than I should have and wrapped by arms around Ranger. I peppered his face with kisses before leaving and promising to be back at 8 to present the idea to the other guys.

I headed to my old cubicle to send an email to J.J. and R.J. giving them more details to run their analysis on. J.J. is going to draft partnership agreements up and file for papers to register the business and get our licenses. He just needs to know who the partners will be. R.J. is going to draft operating budgets and cash flow projections for the first few months and year. I also sent texts to Connie and Lula to meet on Saturday for breakfast. If I was going to do this, they would be included even if they didn't have the money to do it.

Before I knew it, Lester was calling me to come back to the conference. _Showtime!_ Lester tried to give me some encouraging words to calm my nerves, but I was a wreck. Ranger gave me the floor and I just stood there staring at all the guys. They have never intimidated me before, but I was ready to pee my pants. I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. _I could do this._By the end of the meeting I had my five partners- Cal, Hal, Woody, Vince and Zip. I also had several more eager to invest in case the guy's checks didn't clear. The Core Team agreed to let us lease office space on the first floor. We argued about the price, but in the end I got my way and would be paying more than the guys wanted. It was an average rate for the neighborhood. If I was going to run my business, I didn't want any handouts. I wanted to be treated like an equal. We planned a celebration dinner at Shorty's for tonight except everyone ended up coming and not just my new partners.


	21. Chapter 21

The Dance, the Deal and the Job

Note: The end is finally here. I was determined to finish something I started even though it took over a year. I loved reading all the reviews. Thanks for the kind words and encouragement. This isn't how I originally planned for the story to end, but my muse forced me in this direction. I hope you enjoy it. I have another idea that I am playing around with for a new story, time will only tell where it takes me and if allows me what I need to write it.

Chapter 21

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"NO! You're not my mommy and you can't make me." I stuck out my tongue for good measures.

"YES! A deal is a deal, time to pay up." Ranger snapped back at me and yanked the covers off the bed. We were currently arguing about my week of 5 a.m. runs I owed him. I had put it off the last two weeks claiming to be too busy setting up the bond's office, well my office. I liked the sound of that.

"I can think of at least seventeen more ways we can get a better exercise than running." I batted my eyelashes and ran my hands over my torso, trying to distract him with my naked body that was currently on full display.

"Not going to work today. I have plans for tonight, it is for your benefit that you get your run in now and we don't have to worry about any gym time tonight." Ranger pulled me off the bed and swatted my butt as he headed to the closet. He threw some clothes my way and started to lace up his shoes. "Babe, you're lucky it is getting cooler out and staying a darker in the morning, otherwise your ass would be outside." I stuck my tongue out at him as we headed down to the gym.

I noticed a few guys stumbled in their workouts as I entered the gym. No one would admit it, but I am sure they were all curious what had me out of bed and in the gym by 5:11 a.m. I stretched and warmed up before stepping onto the treadmill and plugging in my ear buds. I started to work through the list of things I needed to get done today. I couldn't believe all that I had accomplished in the last two weeks since deciding to buy the bonds office.

Connie and Lula were on-board the minute I told them. Lula would actually file and help Connie manage the office better. Lula and Tank had some sort of agreement already that there were only a handful of regulars she was allowed to pick up on her own- anyone else she had to have a partner for or Tank took a pair of her shoes. After she lost the first pair, she realized he was serious. I heard from Lester it was a long week at Rangeman for the guys when that happened. Lula withheld sex from him in return and refused to talk. Tank took out his frustrations with the men on the mats. Bobby finally forced the two to talk when Cal was knocked out by a punch Tank threw. Lula got her shoes back and has stuck to taking in only the approved regulars.

Against my better judgment, I agreed that I was no longer doing any field work either on a day to day basis. If it was a high bond skip that required planning and a team for take down, I was included, but other than that I ran the leads to help locate the skips and left the bounty hunter work to the trained professionals. My silent partners liked to work on their days off picking up skips for fun...I couldn't blame them. All the low bond skips had kept me entertained over the years.

Ranger and I had fallen into a routine since being back. He would head down to five and work his Batman magic during the day. I worked from the bond's office out of the first floor. Most nights he would have to come and get me when he finished up for the day because I was still working on something. I am working harder now than I ever have in my life and I couldn't be happier. Some nights Ranger would already have dinner ready when we made it upstairs and some nights we would rely on Ella. A few times Ranger was tied up at night with a take down, so I would head to the gym and get my run in. Last night was one of those nights, but I was too tired to run and I fell asleep on the couch after I ate dinner. Ranger dragged me to bed when he got home after midnight. I was feeling more tired lately, but I thought it was because of all the work I was doing.

I looked down at my counter and I was up to five miles. I was feeling a little queasy and slowed my pace down. I kept going till I hit my seven miles and headed up stairs. I didn't wait for Ranger. I wasn't feeling any better and hoped to catch a nap after my shower before I was set to meet the guys to plan a distraction for later in the week. It would be my first one since coming back. It was the only work I would keep doing for RangeMan on any skips that were not signed out on bail by Plum's Bail Bonds. I would be recognized immediately, we were still looking for the right girl to use. Ranger had a younger cousin in Newark that I was set to meet next week. She could use some quick cash since she was in college.

I headed for the shower, making it quick to allow for more napping time. I stretched out on the bed and was asleep instantly. At some point I felt the bed dip and it startled me awake. I was soon peppered with kisses up my neck and over my lips.

"Mmm, a girl could really get used to this. Maybe you should have used this tactic this morning and I would have gotten out of bed easier."

"If I did this a few hours ago, I wouldn't have gotten out of bed Babe." Ranger grinned and winked at me. _God, I love this man._

"I love you too. So are you going to join the land of the living or stay here?" Ranger questioned me as he moved to the closet to continue dressing for the day.

"I wasn't feeling too good this morning. My whole body feels tired. I was going to stay up here till the meeting for the distraction at 9:30. So that gives me at least another two hours." I snuggled back down under the covers.

"You need anything? I can call Bobby up. You have been out of it for a few days."

"No, I will be down in a bit." Ranger nodded and headed out before giving me a bone melting kiss.

I tried drifting off to sleep as I thought about our celebration we had after I signed the papers to own the bonds office last week. As soon as the J.J. and R.J. had everything signed, Ranger took me to the house again. We celebrated in every room of the house at least once. We got drunk off of champagne. It was one of the best nights of my life. My thoughts were really making me want to call Ranger upstairs to take care of business. It was going to be a long day if I had to wait for it. I had been moody and stressed the days leading up to the signing. I chalked it up to the nerves of owning my own business and fear of its success and my impending monthly visitor.

"OH MY GOD!" I screamed so loud even though I was the only one in the apartment, I was sure it was heard on five. I tried to think back to when my last period was. Was it in Colorado? I think I should have had it by now, but it had been so long. My mind was clouded. I was tired, I was moody, and I was feeling nauseous a past few mornings. My heart was racing. I tried to take some deep breaths. It could all be coincidence. There was no way I was pregnant.

I heard my cell phone ring, but there was no way I could talk to anyone right now. I noticed the clock read 9:41. Shit, I am late in more ways than one. I still needed to get dressed. I had to get a grip. The men downstairs could sense the slightest problem with their damn ESP. How was I going to get this pass Ranger and a chance to tell him without alerting everyone to a possibly life alerting announcement? I heard my cell beep again. I grabbed my phone, a missed call and text from Ranger.

_**Are you coming?**_

_I am late..._

_**I figured that, are you coming?**_

I don't think he got the right message. I might as well tell him, nothing like ripping off a band-aid all at once. Ranger doesn't sugar coat anything with me, it was only fair to do the same to him.

_No, I am LATE! I will be down in 5._

No sooner than I dressed and headed for the door, trying to force the baby thoughts out of my mind for a few, my phone starts ringing again.

I start talking as soon as I picked it up, "I told you I would be down. I had..."

"Um Bomber, are you okay? We have a problem here with the Boss Man." Tank rattled off into the phone like he was unsure of his words leaving his mouth.

Ranger's POV

I headed down to five to get going with the day's activities. Steph has been acting funny the last few days. She is probably over stressing about the office and working nonstop. I swear if I didn't pull her from her office every night last week she would sleep there. Her mind was running constantly a mile a minute. I am happy she has an opportunity to run the office how she feels fit. She will probably show too much compassion for some, but I also have a feeling people will willing come back in after an impromptu therapy session with her. She has a way of sometimes reaching people that others fail at. It is a blessing and a curse in this business.

We started our morning meeting running through necessary business matters. I checked my watch, waiting for Steph to walk in at any moment. It is getting close to 9:30 and she should be down by now. I stepped out onto the floor to see if she was around. Nothing. I head back in to hear Bobby wrapping up who needs to still complete their annual physicals.

I dismissed those who will not be part of the distraction and the rest of the men sit and talk obviously waiting for Steph. I decided to try her cell to see what the delay was. I hoped she didn't fall back asleep for good. I did not want to have to drag her out of bed. It took all my control already this morning to walk away, but I was trying not to appear too whipped to my men. I have given them enough fuel for the fire in the two weeks we have been back. I had a contractor coming in Monday to sound proof my office. Tank requested it happen immediately and offered to fund it from his personal account. Rangeman productivity hit an all time low that afternoon and evening. Woody and Hal were on monitors and missed an alarm go off. Needless to say, Tank called me to the mats the next morning per RangeMan protocol.

I gave her a few minutes to call me back before sending a text. It was now after 9:40.

_**Are you coming?**_

_I am late..._

Thank you Steph for pointing out the obvious. That doesn't tell me when you will be in the conference room.

_**I figured that, are you coming?**_

I stood to head upstairs to get her since I cannot get the clear answer I am looking for when my phone beeps back.

_No, I am LATE! I will be down in 5._

What does she mean she is late? My mind was only processing late to the meeting, what else could it mean? FUCK! I get it now, but before I could respond my vision went black.

Tank's POV

We were all sitting here waiting for Steph to arrive. I needed to get this planning session started. I had dreaded client meetings all afternoon and needed to review the files before I headed out. I glanced towards Ranger and see him playing with his phone. _Way to be discreet that you can't get your woman back downstairs. _He stood up like he was heading for the door when he glanced down one more time. His face scrunched up like what he read was in a foreign language and his skin went pale.

"Boss Man, when is Steph..?" Before I can get the sentence out Ranger faints. _Shit! Man down! _Do men faint? Bobby ran to his side as I grabbed Ranger's phone to call Steph. The entire room is silent as they watch Bobby check him over.

Before I can ask any questions Bomber starts talking, "I told you I would be down. I had..."

"Um Bomber, are you okay? We have a problem here with the Boss Man." I asked Steph as I watch Bobby checking his heart rate.

"Tank? Where's Ranger?" She sounded shocked that I am on the other end of the line. I can hear her voice echo like she is in the stairwell.

"He is on the floor in the conference. He stood, looked at his phone and collapsed. He looked a little pale after he looked at his phone. What did you say to him?" I questioned.

"I said I was late. Oh hell no! If anyone has the right to panic it is me, how dare he take all the dramatics of the situation. I am the one who is going to suffer the most." I heard her footsteps outside the door and she hung up the phone as she walked in.

I turned to address Bobby with the information Steph relayed, she just stood there with her hands on her hips like nothing was wrong. I was running through the possible medical conditions which were possible reasons as to why Ranger was on the ground, low blood sugar, fever, dizzy spells. Clearly her being late to the meeting was nothing to cause a man to faint. _Steph was late. Steph was late. Holy Shit Batman! _I can't hold back my laughter, I can't stop laughing. I looked up to see 8 pairs of eyes staring at me and one curly haired brunette rolling her eyes.

Steph's POV

I walked into the conference room to see Bobby leaning down over Ranger checking his pulse. Tank was looking at me and then at Ranger and back and forth. It was like he didn't have a clue what was going on. I kept staring at Tank and out of nowhere he started laughing. _Asshole! He thinks this is funny. My ass is going to get huge. This is not something to laugh about._

He looks around the room and the other guys obviously don't have a clue what we were talking about. I give him my best 'Burg eye roll when he finally settles his eyes on me.

"Gentlemen, let's give the two lovebirds a little privacy. We will have to reschedule this distraction." Tank waited for everyone to leave before pulling Bobby away from Ranger.

"I am going to get my med bag. He should come around soon, but he is going to have a killer headache from the fall. I will call the physician to see if I can get him in to run some further tests to see why he fainted." Bobby turned to head out before Tank grabbed his arm.

"Man, you can't help him unless you have a stick for Bomber to pee on." Bobby looked stunned for a minute staring between Ranger and me before he started laughing.

"Never thought I would see the day when Bomber could bring down the Boss." Bobby chuckled, "I will leave you two alone, call me if you need anything. I don't have any tests, but I can get you one if you want." I nodded my head hoping that if Bobby picked it up for me I would, I wouldn't become the gossip of the day. The guys left me alone with Ranger still passed out on the floor.

I sat straddling him and started running my hands over his arms and torso. I wasn't sure how long he was going to be out for, but Bobby must have been sure he would wake soon since he left. After a few minutes he started to wake up. I was suddenly at a loss for words. Neither of us moved or said anything. I finally couldn't take the silence anymore and decided to speak.

"Hi."

"Babe."

"Ranger." I could play this one word game all day.

"Steph."

"Carlos." I was struggling to keep my blank face in place.

"Stephanie." He was losing his patience. I would wait all day. No need to rush our impending discussion.

"Ricardo Carlos Manoso."

"Babe." He said again in his annoyed voice. "Why are we still on the ground?" I shrugged my shoulders and stood up, reaching my hand out for him in a gesture to help him up. He stood and pulled me to him.

"I take it the meeting is delayed." I nodded my head again. "So, you are late." Ranger said it more like a question and not a statement. I kept up the nodding, I was afraid my voice would crack if I spoke the words out loud. We starred at each other for another minute before there was a knock on the door.

"Enter." Ranger barked at the intruder.

Bobby stepped through the door. "Ella had a...a...test for Steph. I guess she had a feeling. I will just leave it here on the table. Let me know if you need anything." I nodded my head again and Bobby left us alone.

Leave it to the staff at RangeMan to already be prepared for anything. This is the only place I can get what I need, besides ice cream, in a matter of minutes. This place really had everything. I started to laugh just thinking about the rumors and conversations the guys were having out there, especially if they knew what Ella had given Bobby.

"What's so funny?" Ranger asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Nothing and everything. Bobby offered to go pick one of those up for me, so I didn't have to worry about being seen and the gossip mill starting. Ella already had one. This place really was prepared for anything. Normally everything would include threats, raids, take downs of criminals on the FBI's most wanted list, but today they proved they were even prepared for this. Not something RangeMan would ever plan for handling in any protocol manual written, but no one had to leave the building to take care of it."

Ranger pulled me closer and hugged me tight. "I know you don't want to say the words, but whatever happens I am right here. I am not going anywhere. Your message caught me off guard. I don't know what happened. I will be right here beside you no matter what. You don't have to rush and take that test right now. We walk out of this room and go on with our day and when you are ready, take it then. Just promise me you will talk to me and not shut down. We have come to far now, I don't want you to push me away."

I stood there few a few moments letting his words sink in. It was what I wanted to hear, but I was still scared and frightened at the idea that I could be pregnant. I was worried about how I was going to balance it all- work, relationship and a baby. I was still getting my head around the idea of owning the bond's office and now I had to figure out how to throw a baby in the mix. My eyes started to water, I was so overwhelmed with emotions. I had the perfect man for me and I was possibly carrying his child. I guess at the end of the day that is all that mattered and I could work the rest of it out overtime. I had enough people around me that could help me through anything in the past and I didn't think they would let me down now.

I looked up at Ranger and he wiped the tears off my cheeks and smiled, "Does this mean I get out of running in the morning?"

"Babe" was all Ranger said before he shut me up by pressing his lips against mine.


End file.
